


Midnight Divergence

by AlmaArachnidFriendEmpress



Series: Rwby - Midnight Divergence Series [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Being A Huntress, Cinder's Canon Backstory (AT LAST!), Cinder's Canon Backstory AU, Dealing With Trauma, F/F, Gen, Learning Healthy Coping and Processing Methods, PTSD, RWBY au, War Against Salem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:20:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 30
Words: 178,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28038327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlmaArachnidFriendEmpress/pseuds/AlmaArachnidFriendEmpress
Summary: What if young Cinder Fall didn't snap that night? What if she had stayed the course, endured, dedicated - and left her abusers behind in search of freedom, power, and control that the life of a huntress can bring her? And so much more she never knew held any importance in life - things like friendship, love, true compassion and care - and the simple pleasures denied her in life?
Relationships: Cinder Fall/Pyrrha Nikos
Series: Rwby - Midnight Divergence Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2083872
Comments: 300
Kudos: 161





	1. An Unbroken Clock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cinder's canon backstory at last revealed!!! :) I'm excited to try out a new story incorporating it - sticking to it! But I still love my long-held headcanoned backstory... :(

On Cinder's seventeenth birthday, her face often was caught holding a smile she just couldn't contain - not even in face of her "family." Her sisters, and her mother.

Cinder knew it would bring her more pain and punishment and humiliation, to be seen so happy (they hated seeing her anything but miserable), but she grit her teeth and told herself she'd bear it all. Because this fire in her, for once, was _not_ going to be extinguished. That, and because, over the years since unlocking her Semblance and training her Aura, she'd developed a major tolerance for the lightning dust shock collar she was forced to wear by her mother.

Aura really was a wonder - the abilities of the superhuman huntresses were _wonderful_! Even if she wasn't one yet.

But she would be, soon enough.

Tonight, she would leave this place behind, this torture and torment, and go forth into an entire world waiting for her to explore it! To get to know it. To sample all its splendors and oddities to heart's content, at Cinder's whim and desire. All those wonderful foods denied her so long, those nice tables and soft beds, those fizzy drinks, those fine clothes! It could all be hers at last, hers to hold and gorge herself on, hers to stretch out her arms and legs and lounge upon like she'd seen so many others do!

She'd be _free_. Free at last. To go anywhere she wanted, do anything she wanted.

And become a huntress, like the man who had trained her, brightened her life all this time - able to make her smile just by walking into the hotel! She was always eager for his visits, always excited for what he would teach her next. For the way he talked to her, how he laughed, how he _made her laugh!_

It had been...he had been...the only thing keeping Cinder going, keeping her sane, honestly; his mantra was always in her head, and he always got her to repeat it aloud too.

_Hurting her family wasn't going to make her life better; only becoming a huntress would._

So Cinder refrained, and refrained, and _refrained_! But she almost broke, once, when she was fourteen, and again at sixteen. And again, only a few months ago. Cinder had those twin swords hidden in her room at all times, and the temptation to use them every single night she went to bed after a long day's work. A long day's degradation, punishment...

It would've been so easy, so glorious, so wonderful!

But...Rhodes always told her that doing what was easy wasn't going to get her nearly as far in life as what was hard. That it would in fact _ruin her life_.

She had to hold on a moment longer. And she did, she tried her best - for him - holding on _by her fingertips!_

Until finally...tonight...she could let go.

Let go, and fall away from Atlas - and then get as far _from it_ as possible. A place as different from it as possible, in her mind.

Cinder's mind was made up, her goal set clearly: she would go to Sanus, to the Kingdom of Vale. Take the exam to get into Beacon, the most prestigious combat school on that continent.

And she'd become the greatest huntress ever seen! One who would _never fail again_. Never have to get _hurt again_.

And one...who would make her mentor proud of her.


	2. Terrifying Freedom

"So what's your plan? Still the same?"

Cinder smiled in her room lit by moonlight, tugging the scarf into place over her neck where the scars were burned forever into her skin. She shoved the necklace, the _collar_ , into her pants pocket, and gave her twin blades some absent twirls, committing to a few twirls and spins about the room out of sheer joy. "Take an airship to Sanus - to Vale - and enroll there. I was born in Mistral, and I've had enough of Atlas."

Rhodes gave a nod, an indulgent little smile of his own. "Good. Just remember everything I've taught you - especially the part about that explosive temper of yours. You can't fight without discipline, and you can't last long in an academy without having control of yourself."

Cinder stilled, holding her swords at her sides. "H-haven't I proven to you these last few years that I can handle that?" she said, a bit annoyed, a bit hesitant - a bit _hopeful_.

Rhodes approached her slowly, and reached out to pat her on the head - like always. Except now, he had to reach _up_ for her. "You have. I'm impressed with how far you've come, how you've held yourself."

Cinder glowed, enjoying the feel of his hand on her head. Simple, soft touches. Not hard strikes, not piercing nails, not tearing out hair (though, it still made her flinch; it always did, at first).

"Well, I guess this is it." Rhodes sighed, stepping away. He reached into a pouch on his belt and offered out a card. "Here - use this. Get that flight to Vale, if you're sure that's where you want to go in life."

Cinder took the card in hand, turning it between her fingers. "Thanks," she uttered, sincere. She paused, looking down as her cheeks heated up. As she spoke on, awkward and fumbling. "Y-you- am I going to ever see you again?"

Rhodes flashed her a grin. "I think you've outgrown me, Cinder. I'm an old, battered huntsman, and you've learned and sharpened your skills for so long now that you're beating me in every two out of three sparring sessions. Now, time to go make something of yourself - all on your own. I know you can do it."

Cinder sighed, sliding the card into her pocket. She clipped her swords to her belt, and without another word she crept out of her room into true darkness of familiar halls.

* * *

The complete and total _relief_ didn't hit her until she was safely aboard the airship.

Well on her way out of Atlas - to Sanus. To _Beacon._

She was giddy with it, laughing high and grinning wide.

She couldn't believe she'd done this!

 _I can't believe I did this._ Elation dampened by sudden, surging anxiety. _What if she still finds me, what if she still makes me go back? What if she lies to them, tells them I'm no good for this kind of life? That I'm not worthy of it? What if she tells them I'm some kind of criminal? What if she tells them the truth? That I'm nothing but a failure, that I'm nothing, that I'm..._

Cinder drew her legs up onto her seat and hugged them tight, her mood and mind rising and falling like crashing waves of violent oceans.

Hours of night passed, until dawn came.

And with it...a whole new world.

A world of _freedom_.

The city of Vale was nowhere near the grandeur and _splendor_ of Atlas - but Cinder thought that that was fine with her; she'd had enough of Atlas.

All its luxuries and pleasures, extravagant and wonderful...all built to hide the _ugliness of its people!_ The disgusting, despicable _people!_ So pretentious, so arrogant - and so damn _hated._

Cinder disembarked from the airship, righting her scarf again and clutching at it as she moved through the crowds. Out of the hangar bay, into the airport.

She made her way to a handy terminal, finding a map of the city - and with it, the location of Vale's local huntsmen headquarters. That would be the place to go for the exams, which were still going to be open for the next several days.

Cinder's lips formed a smirk as she strolled out onto the streets of Vale; she was sure she'd pass them easily. She had to!

She'd prove she was worth something - anything! Worth being a huntress!


	3. Examined In Exams

"I- I'm here to become a huntress!"

The words were blurted, and then eyes were downcast, and a hand was grasping an arm.

Cinder spied the woman at the desk giving her a once-over; she caught the little snort of air from the woman's nose. And she most definitely caught the hand that came up to wave about before her - it made Cinder flinch (which she hated herself for immediately).

"You sure you're up for it?" Idle tones, an undercurrent of...

Cinder risked a glance up, risked a look in the eye. "Y-yes."

A silence. A sigh. "Alright. Name, date of birth - place of residence?"

Cinder grasped her arm tighter, digging in her nails. Anxiety bloomed in her chest. "Ah- I- Cinder, Sunday the third - year 309 - and...Mistral?" That last one being a total lie - the first lie to come to mind. She wasn't going to say _Atlas_! Or Glass Unicorn Hotel.

Another _sigh_. The woman was tapping on holographic keyboard. "Okay. So you're seventeen. Now how about a last name?"

Cinder narrowed her eyes at her own feet, working her lips silently. A last name...She barely remembered it - but she _did_ find it somewhere in her mind. "A-Aryle. Cinder...Aryle." A useless word she'd never had a use for. A useless girl.

"Right. Are you transferring from another school, or are you looking to _try_ and get a place at Beacon through the entrance exams?"

"The exams."

 _Tap, tap, tap._ "Well, you have weapons - I'll assume you know how to use them. The earliest I can get you in is tomorrow morning at nine."

 _No!_ Cinder's head came up, hand falling from arm. "Please, isn't there a way I could take it today? Now?"

The woman just looked at her. Her lips pressed together. "No. Come back tomorrow morning, or don't come back at all."

Cinder's fury rose - and then died. She breathed and swiftly ducked her head again. "Y-yes, of course...I'll- go now. T-thank you."

"You do that."

 _I don't know_ what _I'm going to do,_ Cinder thought as she left the building, emerging into sunlight streets. She found her way to the nearest bench and sat down there, fighting with her own swirling feelings. The anxiety, the anger...

She had no lien left from Rhodes to spend here! She had nowhere to go, no way to even make it through this one night!

What was she supposed to even do?

_What I always try and do? And fail at?_

Steal something? Steal a bit of food from somewhere? Lien from someone?

Stealing carried the risk of getting _caught stealing_ \- which would result in severe punishment.

And who knew what kinds of punishments the people here in Vale gave to thieves? If it was anything like the people of Atlas...

But she had no other choice - she had to try _something!_

She'd sworn to herself that after leaving that place behind, she'd never starve again! Never _hurt_ again!

How could she have even failed to live up to _her own self_ so quickly? Her own promise made to herself?

Cinder's growling stomach made up her mind for her; she had to _try_. Likely fail, as was typical _her_.

But sometimes, she _did_ actually succeed at something.

She just had to hope luck was with her this time.

Cinder stood from her seat, gave her scarf another self-conscious readjusting, and set off around the block. Her eyes roamed every building, every storefront, every person and every car that passed her by.

She had to find something, someone...

A bit of pain would be worth it, anything would be worth it, she told herself. She couldn't mess this up, this chance, her only chance...

Cinder was passing by a restaurant, taking in the unhelpful, wonderful smells in her nose, when there was a commotion and a yell.

She caught sight of a teenage girl with green hair and dark skin sprinting down the street, turning to disappear into an alley.

Cinder wouldn't have cared - except that she'd seen the food in the girl's hand, and the wallet tucked under her arm.

Was it really stealing if you stole from a thief?

Cinder took a quick look up and down the street - nobody seemed to know just where the teenager had gone to. Which meant she was all _hers_.

She strode quickly down the street and entered the alley with burning purpose.

Spotting the girl was easy enough; she was sitting behind a dumpster, examining her spoils.

My _spoils,_ Cinder amended firmly. She was tired of everyone else _having and having_ , and her getting _none of it_! Always taunted, tantalizing, looks and scraps and a filched piece or bit - but nothing whole, nothing all hers!

The girl jumped to her feet and whipped out a green weapon - a gun of some advanced design.

Cinder immediately snatched up her blades from her belt and squared herself, falling into combat stance.

"Leave me alone!" The girl shouted fiercely.

Cinder felt a smirk come over her lips. And she spoke the word freely, of freedom itself: "No."

"Then you're getting a bullet in your face!" said the girl, snarling and stepping forward.

"No," Cinder repeated, relishing, twirling her blades in figure eights before her. Was it any real wonder why her mother and sisters always took such _joy_ in refusing Cinder anything in life? This felt _good_! It felt _nice!_ To have this...this hold, this...control, this _power_ over someone. Especially after having just been at the mercy of another's power not minutes ago - again. After thinking herself free of it... "You have some things that don't belong to you - some things I _need_. You're going to give them to me: _now_."

"No!" the girl retorted, bringing out a second gun to point at Cinder. " _I need this!_ "

"For what?" Cinder responded, lifting her chin and broadening her smirk. " _I'm_ trying to become a huntress," she went on pridefully. "What are _you_ doing with your life that's so important?"

"You don't know me!"

"I don't," Cinder agreed. "Why don't we change that? What's your name? I'm Cinder."

A long silence. "Emerald."

"I'll let you off easy, Emerald: give me what you have, and I won't have to take it from you - and cut you up in the process."

"You're _not_ getting this!"

Cinder set her jaw, letting out a growl. And then, she lunged. Dashing down the alley with Aura empowered speed!

Emerald tossed the food and wallet far away back down the alley behind herself - but that action cost her.

Cinder swung her blades left and right as she reached the girl, slicing several times successfully across her Aura.

Emerald kicked out at her and sent Cinder flipping and skidding back a dozen feet, and then she was firing her guns at her. Unloading on her!

Cinder twirled her blades, blocking the incoming hailstorm of bullets as best she could - but some still got through, pounding at her Aura and flickering it amber. She leapt high and went into a corkscrew flip, coming down behind the girl slashing furiously for her backside.

Emerald took two swipes across her back, flaring her Aura green; she whirled around, and suddenly her guns were now twin sickles, sharp and deadly. She twirled and sliced for Cinder in return.

Cinder blocked and redirected, curling her lip into a snarl. She went into a low, spinning leg sweep - Emerald backflipped to avoid it, turning her weapons into guns in mid air and firing at her unexpectedly. Cinder was hit more times than she blocked, stumbling back and almost losing her footing.

Emerald landed, her weapons back to being sickles. She suddenly shifted her grip and hurled one forward - it was attached to a chain, Cinder saw! The weapon flew past her shoulder, and then it was whipping back for her and slicing her across the arm! Emerald had closed the distance and begun slashing for her, her weapons flying out on those chains to spin and twirl around Cinder.

Cinder blocked and backpedaled furiously, taking two more slashes to her Aura in the process; she hadn't expected anything like this! Fury flared, and she lunged forth and caught the girl off guard. She grabbed the girl's face in hand and triggered her Semblance! Emerald screamed as her Aura flared brightly, as the pain got through it still; she slashed wildly down Cinder's front, tearing into her Aura. Cinder shoved a knee into her stomach with a yell, once, twice - and then sliced her sword thrice across her belly.

Emerald turned a sickle into a gun again, and put that gun to Cinder's head and pulled the trigger.

Cinder broke away from the girl and leapt back. Her foot bumped into a stray bottle - a glass bottle. She snatched it up and used her Semblance on it, superheating it, and then she hurled it at Emerald as hard as she could. The bottle flew for the girl and exploded a foot in front of her face; hot glass showered her, peppering her Aura.

Emerald let out a cry, swinging her arms and backing away.

Cinder flew for her again, slashing both blades across her chest; that green Aura shimmered, and _broke_. She sliced twice more, drawing blood, tearing cloth, and causing the girl to let out a real _scream_ as she fell back on her rear. Heady and heated, Cinder's face split with the widest grin! She took a sauntering step forward, twirling her blades casually.

Emerald aimed her guns at her-

Cinder blocked and then lunged, taking the hits on her own Aura, stabbing her blade down for the girl's abdomen!

Emerald's eyes narrowed, and then suddenly...she was _gone!_ She vanished into thin air.

Cinder's blade struck empty concrete, digging in several inches and casting off sparks.

She gazed up the alley's length, jaw dropped. She tore her blade free and heaved a breath, standing poised - waiting, listening. But there was nothing.

She was afraid, at first, that the girl would attack her unexpectedly - and _then_ she'd been afraid, with startling clarity, of what she'd _almost done!_ She could have ruined everything, sabotaged herself! She'd gotten too fired up, too carried away with it all! She had almost...

Her eyes settled on what had started all this: her prizes.

Her fears fading in face of newfound excitement, Cinder put her blades away and strode for the items with a renewed smirk - a _triumphant_ one.

She'd _won!_ She'd succeeded! She'd done it!

It was hers, all hers!

She opened up the wallet and dug into it with eager fingers.

_Let's see how much is in here..._


	4. Different Kind Of Difficult

Cinder spent a single night in the cheapest motel she could find in all of Vale.

Even _that_ was leagues better than anything she could remember before in life; she'd slept very comfortably, snuggling a pillow and wrapping herself up in soft blankets.

She woke up at precisely 6:00 AM, as ever, took a shower, and walked to the huntsmen headquarters building. She arrived at 6:22, and spent the next two hours sitting right near the front doors.

When the clock across the street told her it was time, she hopped to her feet, pulled up her scarf, and hurried inside.

Cinder quickly approached the front desk. There, she bowed her head, hands at her waist. "I'm here."

A raised eyebrow from the receptionist. "I see that," she spoke, clear and slow.

Cinder felt her cheeks heating up, and bowed her head further - bent at her waist - long locks falling into her face. "I am ready for the entrance exams, m-ma'am."

An arm lifting high - Cinder flinched - and then pointing across the lobby. "Then go wait over there for your name to be called. And be prepared for several hours of the most grueling work you could imagine."

 _You clearly don't know me,_ Cinder thought, holding in a snort. She controlled herself and straightened. A quick look in the eye. "Yes, ma'am..."

She hastily made her way over to the waiting area, sitting herself down on a nice, cushioned bench.

It was _nice_ \- but it wasn't overly ridiculous, as things in Atlas were.

Cinder sat hunched over, resting her arms on her legs, staring at the floor.

Ears straining, body tensed.

After many minutes, a door opened to Cinder's left.

"Cinder Aryle."

A tall man with a greying, long beard beckoned her. His eyes were a light blue. He wore black body armor, and heavy boots.

Cinder stood, moving quickly for the man.

He moved his arm as soon as she reached him; sticking out a hand.

Cinder stared. _What does he want from me? Is this the first test? Do I grapple him - throw him into the wall?_

The man's arm dropped. "Forgive me - I'm Koa Brant - huntsman, and your examiner for the next few hours here today."

"Y-yes, of course," Cinder said quickly, looking down; whatever she was meant to have done just now, she had the feeling she'd failed at it. Nothing new for her - but she _couldn't_ fail here! She just couldn't! She was determined, she was _resolved_ : she had to do better, the best, she had to be _perfect_! Anything less got you punished.

"Follow me," said Brant, giving a nod. He turned and led the way through the door, into a side corridor.

Cinder followed, keeping her body posed and controlled as well as she ever had - shoulders down, head bowed, don't walk too slow, but also not too fast!

He led her down the hall, around a corner, and then into another room. A large room with a few tables, chairs - and on those tables were large stacks of paper, and...writing instruments?!

Cinder stared, horrified; when was the last time she'd even _held_ one of those things?! She couldn't even remember the last time she had used one, written _anything out_! Had it been a few years ago, or...no, back at the farm? When she'd used to sit alone and focus on her homework? No! That couldn't be!

"Why don't you try and calm yourself down," Brant's voice said clearly, loudly. A trace of amusement, a smile. "We haven't even thrown you into the physical trials yet."

 _My whole life has been physical trials._ Cinder could handle _that_ , but _this_? This?!

"Just go take a seat, try to breathe," the man said firmly.

Cinder was jostled into action; she scurried forward, stomach twisting, and sat down at the nearest table. She reached out and picked up a pen. She did _try_ to breathe; she was here, wasn't she? She could do this - plenty of people around the hotel had made it look easy, scribbling away so fast. If she could swing her swords so well, she could do this just as well (even with her total lack of recent practice).

Brant took several sheets of paper off a pile, slid them over in front of her. "Just complete this test to the best of your abilities, and when you're finished we'll get you going with the next part of the exams."

Cinder nodded, and hunched herself over the papers; Brant left her there, leaving the room entirely.

That made it much easier for her to actually start to calm herself, control herself.

She always did best when she was left alone.

Just her, her task to get lost in - repetitive motions ingrained in muscle memory now...

Cinder stared at the first question at the top of the paper: _In what year was the Kingdom of Vale founded?_

_How am I supposed to know that?_

Cinder stared furiously at the question for five minutes before giving in to said fury, and scribbling deep lines and circles of mayhem over all the possible answers (four of them).

She moved on to the next - ended up stabbing through the page with her next scribblings.

The third question, then, was next for her; it received similar treatment.

She threw the first paper away, hoping the second one would be easier.

It wasn't.

She scanned it through with increasing desperation - then onto another. And another. And another.

Cinder glanced around, shuffling them all together and tapping the pen against the table surface.

_Dammit, I can't do this at all! I'm going to fail, fail again, before I can even start! Fail because of my goddamn mother, that goddamn fucking-_

Heavy footsteps, a clearing throat. "I see you're having difficulties with this."

Cinder looked up and found the man standing over her - close to her. She shrank away in her seat and cast her eyes down. "N-no, I'm not, I just need- I just-"

"Why don't we come back to this later?" Brant said absently. "Those swords of yours - do you know how to use them?"

"Yes!" _I am not some kind of idiot! I am not worthless, I am not useless, I am...not!_

"Then how about you show me. Come." Brant was striding for the left wall, tapping a small panel. The wall slid away to reveal a large chamber.

This chamber was full of platforms, ramps, staircases, ropes that hung vertically and were suspended horizontally, and there were all sorts of machines and contraptions scattered around that looked dangerous enough to Cinder.

Cinder stepped into the chamber, gazing all around in wonder.

A section of the far wall lifting away caught her eye; there were bars revealed, and red eyes glaring out of darkness.

"You will show me you can handle yourself in a variety of environments, and against the common Sanus types of grimm."

Cinder drew breath, and drew her swords shakily. She wasn't going to argue; this was her last chance, her only chance to prove she was worth _something_.

"If you're prepared? Let's begin..."

* * *

Several hours later, Cinder stood proudly as several Ursa evaporated into nothing, heaving harsh breaths. She looked to her examiner, prideful, hopeful.

"Well..." he said, stroking his beard. "That was a masterful display, Miss Aryle. You do pass _that_ portion of these exams - with flying colors, no doubt about it; it would be a mistake to ignore that - but your intellectual efforts will need significant improvement during your time at Beacon."

"D-during my...time at Beacon? So- so I passed?" Cinder stammered, daring to _hope_.

"You passed enough...that I'm more than confident of your success in combat situations," Brant said slowly. "But that isn't all there is to being a huntress, and you'll need to learn that quickly to succeed in your coursework. If...you intend to still succeed at becoming a licensed huntress."

"O-of course I still intend to- y-yes, thank you!"

"Good. Apply your mind half as well as you did your body, and you'll become a fine huntress, I'm sure."

"So, I- when do I go?" Cinder asked, eager.

"Your first term starts in three days."

"What?" Cinder said blankly.

"Three days, Miss Aryle. Be sure not to miss the airship."

"B-but I..." She cut herself off sharply, stamping down on her emotions. She'd damn well make it work; she'd _make it there!_ No matter what! She was so close, she was so _close!_ "I understand. Yes. I'll be there."

"Good. Then the examination is concluded." Brant gestured at the door.

Cinder walked out on legs she willed not to tremble.

_I'm going to become a huntress - no matter what I have to do!_


	5. Partners In Crime

Cinder walked the streets of Vale, fiddling with the wallet absently.

She needed _more_.

But her successes in life were always rare, come about by pouring all of herself into her work.

And this kind of work, this kind of success...it wasn't going to just _happen again_.

Not without risk. Great risk.

The risk from others, and the risk from herself...

She'd _promised_ Rhodes she could control herself! She'd done her damn best, all this time, to do that!

But she'd never been so close to slipping up as she had in that alley, with that girl - that thief - Emerald.

Could Cinder afford to risk losing her control again? Maybe completely, next time?

 _I have to,_ she told herself. _I'll just do better! I'll be better! I'll be perfect!_

Cinder. Would. Be. _Perfect_.

Perfection brooked no failure. Which brooked no need for punishment (something her sisters had caught on to, and so had liked to force her into making a mistake solely for the sake of seeing her punished more often).

Maybe the risks could be minimized by trying the same girl again?

Cinder wandered back into the same alleyway on shop corner, and sat herself there on the ground with back to dumpster.

She tossed the wallet out carelessly in front of her; it wasn't enough for even another _day_ at a motel, let alone three. It was useless to her. It was _worthless_.

It was nothing anymore.

Cinder waited for hours, until dusk came, and then...the girl appeared.

Appeared like she had _disappeared_ , at the end of their fight: right out of thin air.

Right in front of her.

Emerald had bandages over her stomach; the girl winced as she bent down to snatch up the wallet, pilfering it with greedy fingers. She smiled with satisfaction, then she lowered herself to the ground to sit with Cinder, face to face.

"Thank you..." Emerald whispered, stowing away the wallet.

"It can't do _me_ any good now," Cinder shrugged. She raised her chin at the girl. "But maybe you can."

"I'm not-"

"Shut up - listen," Cinder hissed. "I...I _need_ to become a huntress; I have three days to pass by here in Vale, until I can catch a ship to Beacon. I need you to help me with that."

"Why? What's in it for me?"

"Nothing," Cinder said flatly. "But, you know, I _did_ just help _you_..."

"You also almost killed me earlier!" Emerald exclaimed, glaring.

Something rose in Cinder, something... "Look, I'm sorry about that, okay? I- got a bit too carried away. I never meant to _actually_ hurt you. Not that badly, anyways..."

Emerald turned her head, lips pressed.

 _Dammit, what can I even say to get her to help me?_ "Please? Please help me become a huntress? You could even become one yourself!"

Emerald stared, then she laughed. "Me? You think so?"

"Yes," Cinder said firmly. She'd seen that glint in her eyes, she'd seen the way she had... "If I can, so can you," she went on quickly, nodding to herself. "I- I am nothing, just like you. But I'm going to _become something_. Don't you want to be, too? Instead of stealing from shops and eating scraps in alleys, like some kind of... _dog_? P-personally, I'm sick of being a _dog_. I want to _take_ everything I was denied, I want to _have_ everything I've never had - and you do too. No more running, no more _starving_ , Emerald. Not for either of us."

"I..." Emerald started, quiet, ducking her head. "I'm not sure I could ever make it as a huntress."

"I say you can," Cinder retorted. She hesitated. "Earlier, when we fought, you were...wonderful," she struggled, feeling strange.

The girl's eyes lit up, a smile coming to her face. "Really?"

"Yes..."

Emerald chewed at her lip, glancing away again. "If- if you _really_ think so, then I'll...I'll give it a try? You were pretty awesome, yourself. Scary awesome. I think, as long as I'm with you, I _can_ make it."

Cinder smiled. "Then it's settled. We'll become huntresses - and you'll get us through the next three days," She rose to her feet, taking the girl's arm and yanking her up too. "Come on - first we need to get _you_ through those entrance exams. If you're exceptionally good at either part of it, they'll let you in; they can't afford to pass up on talent." She paused. "And you...have talent."

Emerald beamed at her, even as she winced. "I'll do it!"

 _You better,_ Cinder thought. _Or I'm not going to make it to Beacon._

* * *

Cinder was able to breathe relief when Emerald emerged from the building after a mere two hours.

Night had truly fallen on Vale now.

The first thing the girl did was to throw herself at Cinder and hug her.

"I did it, I did it, thanks to you! They said that even at my age, they were willing to let me- _oof_!"

Cinder elbowed the girl hard, swept her legs out from under her and slammed her to the pavement. She stood over her with a blade drawn, the tip held above her face.

Emerald blinked up at her, confusion written all over her face. "What're you doing?"

Cinder blinked back. She let a breath go, relaxing her body and putting her sword away. She pulled the girl up again and stepped away - turned away. "I was j-just- testing you," she stuttered quickly. "Good job, you passed. Now how about you tell me how it is you make a living out here? Where do you sleep, what do you eat?"

"Oh! Well, right now I've been camping out at..."

Cinder let Emerald chatter on, let her lead her through the streets with clear direction and purpose.

* * *

After three days, it was time.

As they boarded the flight to Beacon's campus, Cinder was nervously excited - Emerald was just excited. She rolled her eyes and smiled when the girl went on about the airship technologies, and about all the diverse clothing and weapons the students around them wore; Cinder never payed attention to those around her. People were faceless, nameless, worthless nothings and idiots. People had never done anything to be remembered by her, never been interesting enough for her (except for one), and never done a thing to _help her_ \- so why bother? They deserved nothing from her in return.

Instead, Cinder was looking out the window, watching the city of Vale as it shrank away below.

A smile on her lips, a hand on her scarf (just to be sure).

Cinder's happy mood lasted through a welcoming message from a Glynda Goodwitch, and it lasted as they flew up to the cliff and approached the school's sprawling grounds.

And then it was ruined when a blonde haired boy began throwing up everywhere, starting a commotion around himself.

_Idiot._

Cinder pressed her forehead to the window, ignoring the panicky impulses rising in her, screaming at her to _go and clean it up._ She told herself very firmly that she didn't _need to_ anymore; she was _free_ now - no one could make her do anything again! No more dusting statues, no more scrubbing floors, no more _rubbing feet_ or _cleaning toilets_. Even still, her feelings were _feelings_ , and so weren't too inclined to listen to the rational mind.

She growled to herself and clenched her fists, banging her forehead repeatedly on the glass as the airship finally began to land.

When those doors opened, Cinder was the first one out - Emerald was the second, the girl nearly pressing up right against her backside!

Cinder drew a breath of fresh air and set her eyes on the impressive structure before her.

She glanced down at her feet, tapped a boot to the stone, and smiled.

_I made it. I made it!_

She laughed, and she took off running for joy through the courtyard, despite that she had no clue where the orientation ceremony was meant to be held. Cinder was only dimly aware of Emerald chasing after her, or of another girl who shouted something to her that sounded rude. She didn't need to control herself for this, not in this moment; tears of relief and joy fell down her face, the wind whipping them away.

Today, Cinder's life would truly begin. A life she could call all her own.


	6. Welcome To Beacon

After a swift and incomplete exploration of the campus, Cinder arrived late to the Headmaster's speech - Ozpin, his name was.

And after _that_ , the students had all been put together in a grand room for the night - just for the night.

Initiation was tomorrow.

Cinder lay herself down on her back, hands behind her head. A contented smile on her face.

Emerald had dragged a mat over to Cinder's. Right. Next. To hers.

Cinder was too happy to make the girl move away.

She'd made it. Nothing was going to spoil this-

"What in the world is going on over here?! Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?" A girl's shrill tones rang.

"NOT YOU AGAIN!"

Three girls were in a furious argument nearby - one with long white hair, one with short dark hair, and another, long locks of curly yellow hair.

"What's your problem with my sister? She's trying to be nice!"

"She's a hazard to my health!"

Cinder jumped to her feet with a growl, stalking over to the group of bickering girls.

"All of you: Shut. Up!"

The white-haired girl whirled, jaw dropped. "Excuse me?! Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

"No," Cinder said flatly. "And I don't care."

"Well, I'd be happy to enlighten you: Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."

_I take that back: I care a lot._

A fire burned in Cinder's chest; fists formed, trembling at her sides as she regarded the girl - the _Schnee girl_. The Elites of all elites in Atlas; she knew of _them_ all too well. Talk around the hotel she'd eavesdropped on plenty of times over. That family had made large donations to the Glass Unicorn before, to Cinder's mother, and the family head, Jacques Schnee himself, had twice come in to visit with her mother over drinks. Cinder had hated him on sight, as brief as those sights had been. The kind of looks he had given her...the comments overheard...That man had _known_ , and he hadn't _cared_.

Cinder's lip curled into a snarl as she stepped forward - she was thankful to be taller than this girl, to tower over her.

Weiss held her ground, glaring up at her. "Do you have something to say to me?"

"I have _plenty of things_ to say to you!" Cinder hissed.

The girl crossed her arms at her, huffing. "Well, let's hear them!"

"You shouldn't go picking fights on your first night here." A black haired girl stood, eyeing Cinder calmly.

"And who do you think you are?" Cinder snapped, whirling on her.

"No one," the girl responded, blinking at her. "Just someone who'd like to get back to her reading. I'm sure you'd like to get back to your bed."

 _Hurting her isn't going to do me any good; it might lose me my place here!_ Her rational mind screamed at her.

Cinder listened to it, just barely. She narrowed her eyes at the Schnee girl. "I'll tell you some other time; I don't have the _time_ right now to waste on someone like _you_." With that, she turned away and went back to her mat. She almost collided head on with Emerald, who had followed her, and somehow gotten very close behind her without her noticing. Probably that Semblance of hers again.

Speaking of which...

"What is your Semblance?" she asked, after lowering herself to her bed again with a sigh.

Emerald looked over at her, eager, smiling. "I can affect people's minds - create illusions. Make them see and hear things...or...nothing. Hide things from them."

"That's very powerful..." Cinder breathed, staring at the girl with eagerness of her own.

"Eh, it works," Emerald shrugged. "I can only do one person at a time, and it really kills my head."

"Huh."

"What's yours?"

"I can heat up and control anything I touch," Cinder replied. "Even reshape them - I can turn earth or dust particles into glass projectiles, or weapons." She smiled faintly at memories of training over the last seven years. "There's always something for me to use in the air around me," she said with satisfaction.

"I didn't think it would be so versatile; could you show me?"

"I'll show you tomorrow - during initiation," Cinder dismissed.

"Great! I can't wait to see it."

"Y-yes, well...goodnight." Cinder turned over, drawing the blankets up to her chin.

"Goodnight," came the immediate, cheery response.

Cinder smiled to herself, reflecting as she drifted off, that this girl wasn't exactly the worst person she'd ever been around. She could get used to her, like she had gotten used to Rhodes. She sort of enjoyed the attention - just as long as Emerald didn't try and get _too close_ again...

* * *

Cinder was relieved to enter the locker room and find her swords were still where she'd put them.

She clipped them to her belt, smiling at the familiar weight.

Looking around revealed two girls being annoyed by the blonde haired puke boy - she couldn't care to remember a name. The only thing about it Cinder cared about was that one of those two girls was Weiss Schnee; she was happy to let the boy continue harassing her.

It culminated in a lucky double case of enjoyment - a tall, strongly built red haired girl threw a spear at the boy, pinning him to a wall.

Cinder pulled her scarf up over her face and laughed into it.

"So, hey, can I ask why you wear that thing?" Emerald spoke, checking over her weapons' dust ammo cartridges.

"No," Cinder said instantly, dropping her hand.

"But you wear it all the time - literally. You had it on for bed last night, and I wouldn't be too surprised if you even wore it in the shower! Is it sentimental - like _this?_ "

Cinder's eyes went wide at the sight of the lightning dust necklace the girl was dangling in one hand. Then, they narrowed. She lashed out with a punch that connected with Emerald's face, snatched the necklace out of the shocked girl's hand, then she kneed her in the gut and put a blade across her throat and shoved her into the lockers. " _Don't you ever steal from me! Not from_ me _! And never_ that _! If I_ ever _see you touching it again, I'll make you regret it! Are we clear?!"_

 _"I- I didn't think-_ "

"Are we _clear_? _Say it!_ "

"Y-yes, yes, god, we're clear, completely clear - I'm sorry!"

Movement from corner of Cinder's eyes, and a long spear was being pointed at the side of her neck. The strong redhead was standing tall, her green eyes hard.

"Why don't you back off from her, please?" The redhead spoke, clear and civil - but as firm as the look in her eyes. "I can't imagine anyone would be happy about one student attacking another like this. It might even get the attacker expelled." The girl paused, her eyes searching Cinder's face. "I'm sure that what was taken was a very personal item, but you need to-"

"I don't _need_ to do anything!" Cinder proclaimed, high and gleeful.

"If you want to stay at this school longer than a day, I rather think you do," the redhead said pleasantly, unyielding. Her free hand was set on hip.

Cinder eyed the girl, then looked to Emerald. Emerald's face was distraught more than scared, her head down, contrite. "You get the message," she decided, stepping away and lowering her sword. She lifted her chin at the redhead; the girl lowered her spear, meeting her gaze like steel. Cinder glared at her as she strode past her, shoving the necklace into her pocket.

Light footsteps followed after her, pattering swiftly.

Cinder paused to eye a small basket full of Dust crystals. She reached in and started plucking out the Fire Dust crystals, and started putting them into pouches on her belt.

If they were just here for the taking, she was going to take - and _take_ advantage of them today.

* * *

After a brief speech from Professor Ozpin (the man seemed to love hearing his own voice), the students were launched into the forest on their test.

The information was held firmly in Cinder's mind after landing via landing strategy (which had involved using up an entire Wind Dust crystal to slow herself until she gently touched the ground): find a relic in a temple, make it back to the cliffs - the first person she made eye contact with would be her teammate for the next four years.

That last part was already sorted out for her; Emerald had used her weapons to land herself close to Cinder, and then she'd so deliberately _blinked at her_ , meeting her eyes, looking like some sad puppy. Cinder sighed and told her to forget the necklace incident, that she was sorry for it - purely because she didn't want the girl to _stop_ paying her so much attention. She was almost afraid she'd driven her away - but it looked like she hadn't. The relief that it brought her was _surprisingly_ _immense_.

Now, to find the temple.

Cinder initially had planned on trying to be the first one back with a relic - but she'd gotten a little sidetracked along the way.

Killing grimm was just so _easy,_ and so _fun_ \- Cinder just imagined every single one was her mother or sisters. Driving her blades into them half a dozen times in two seconds, slicing them across their throats, swinging to decapitate them, pelting them with superheated glass shards, burning them to ash with Fire Dust...

So much stress relief!

Cinder impaled a beowolf, flipped over its body and stabbed her second blade through its backside. Seized its throat and triggered her Semblance, and then the Fire Dust too, bursting flames to scorch the monster's neck away. She rode it as it collapsed to the dirt, and then she superheated the dirt underneath it, stomping on the back of its head, causing it to howl in agony. She reached for her Aura, causing the Fire Dust crystal to burst with flames; a flick of her wrist and those flames flew into her palm, and then down onto the superheated ground. A screeching filled the air; a clench of her fist, and the magical fires exploded upward, blowing the grimm apart - and sending Cinder flying back into a tree.

She hit hard, her Aura flickering.

"C-Cinder! Are you okay-" Emerald started, rushing over.

Cinder fell forward onto hands and knees, laughing high. She stood and brushed herself off, flipping a long lock of hair up out of her face. She turned a wide smile on Emerald. "I'm just fine, thanks!"

"That was incredible!" the girl cried, her eyes big and sparkling.

Gratification bloomed. Cinder's smile grew. "Thanks," she repeated, adoring that warmth in her chest.

"But...I think we should get back to actually trying to find the relics; we need to focus," Emerald spoke up again.

Cinder's smile slowly left her. She nodded, running a hand over her hair. "Right, yes...yes." She paused. "You were raised on the streets - is your sense of direction any good?"

Emerald turned and pointed immediately. "North is _that way_ now."

"Then we're going that way," Cinder decided, starting off at a dead sprint. "Come on!"

She needn't have even added that last command - the girl was already on her heels again.

Cinder smiled to herself as she raced through the woods, leaping over fallen trees, over brush! She was happy to note that Emerald was keeping up with her; the girl was using her weapons to leap high and swing through the trees, flipping off of branches and such. In the sense of combat skills, it wasn't a mistake to keep her around.

They emerged after many minutes into open ground. Cinder ran toward what could only be the temple and the relics - a crumbling place of pillars, upon which were placed chess pieces.

Emerald hovered beside Cinder, gazing around at the pieces. "Some of them are missing."

 _Who beat me here?_ "It doesn't matter," Cinder said aloud, snatching up a golden horse piece (a decision made solely because it was cute). Emerald mimicked her. "Let's-"

Heavy boots clacking, and Cinder whirled to find the redheaded girl stepping out from behind a half-crumbled wall. "Hello again! I hope I didn't startle you."

Cinder lowered her sword, stowing away the chess piece in a belt pouch. "You didn't," she said firmly, tossing her ponytail. "Why were you hiding? Are you here to steal our piece?"

The redhead shook her head. "I don't think that's the point of the exercise..." She slowly moved for a pillar, and plucked in hand a golden horse piece for herself. She cast a strange look at Cinder, sidelong. Then, she smiled. "The two of you are going to head back now?"

"Yes," Cinder said. "Are you scared, looking to tag along?" she taunted.

"Not scared, no - but I will say I'm interested in 'tagging along,' yes. I've been doing that already," the girl admitted, grasping her arm with flushed cheeks. "I've been watching how you fight, how you move. And I have to say-"

"I don't care; come if you want, just don't slow me down," Cinder interrupted, turning away. She paused, glancing back over her shoulder. "Who are you again?"

The girl blinked at her, lips parting. Then, her smile returned in full. "Pyrrha. Pyrrha Nikos. It's a pleasure to meet you...?"

"Nice to meet you, too," Cinder muttered, and then she started off back the way she'd come - back for the cliffs. Secretly, she was nervous at the idea that this girl had been watching her this entire time; how hadn't she noticed?! Was it another overpowered Semblance, like Emerald's?

Cinder would need to figure it out later!

She emerged out of the trees into ruins on side of a canyon - and partly _over it_. And on the other side? The cliffs!

She might not have been _first_ (her fault, she admitted it), but she could still be _second_. Hopefully.

Cinder had only glanced down a moment to figure out exactly how many more Wind Dust crystals she had on her, when Emerald's voice rang out.

"Cinder, look out-!"

A great crashing noise to her left; she turned, and found herself staring at a massive scorpion grimm barreling right for her!

A massive pincer snatched her up and slammed her into a pillar, shattering it and flaring her Aura; it began squeezing at her, sparking and twisting her Aura more fiercely!

Cinder slashed her sword at the monster's limb that held her, but it only glanced off with sparks flying. Panic, terror. She slapped her palm to it and triggered her Semblance, heating up a large portion of the claw - but it didn't let her go even then! She punched and struck at it, grunting and growling; she tried to ram her sword into it, but it sunk in only a mere three inches!

_No! No, no, please - help, please!_

A spattering of bullets struck the grimm - two different kinds - and then Pyrrha Nikos was soaring down from above and stabbing her spear through into the creature's head. The grimm's powerful stinger tail launched forward for Pyrrha; she raised a shield and blocked it, but the force of it caused her to tear her spear free, and she was sent rolling away.

The monster increased its pressure on Cinder's waist-

And then it suddenly let her go, whirling around and charging off in a completely random direction!

Cinder scrambled to her feet, getting her bearings. She saw Emerald standing not too far away, her eyes narrowed at the grimm. Then, Emerald collapsed with a cry, clutching her head in hands.

The grimm slowed, halted - turned around and fixed evil red eyes on them again.

 _Her Semblance!_ Cinder realized. _She saved me..._

Cinder ran for Emerald, even as the grimm charged again. She grabbed the girl's arm and hauled her to her feet, pulling her along toward the cliffs.

Pyrrha was running along behind them, pausing every now and again to take shots back at the grimm; they hardly slowed it down!

They stepped off solid ground and onto an uncomfortably broken bridge structure.

Cinder kept running - glancing back once or twice to make sure Emerald was still with her.

Out on the bridge now, the grimm couldn't follow, thankfully.

On the other side and solid ground again, Cinder pulled out a Wind Crystal at base of the cliff, staring up at the top.

"I'm not sure that's enough to get even one of us up there," Pyrrha spoke, reproachful, eyeing the crystal.

Cinder gave her a look, and fished around in her pouch for three more.

"That could do it," Pyrrha amended, nodding. "But not for all of us, sadly."

"Let's get Cinder up there - as long as one of us does, we'll still win," Emerald said passionately.

"True," Pyrrha agreed. "I could even give you a boost," she told Cinder, gesturing to her shield.

"I can help her get an extra boost too!" Emerald said instantly. She pulled out her sickles and let the chains free, swinging them like pendulums. "I can use one Wind crystal up completely, putting myself higher than her, and then you can send her up with your shield so that when she reaches me, I can keep her momentum going. After that, she can use the other two to keep going higher! It should be more than enough to guarantee her success!"

Cinder looked between the two girls. She smiled, nodding. "Good ideas; let's do it, then."

Pyrrha positioned herself, shield facing upward, and Emerald readied herself, gripping the teal crystal firmly in her hand.

Cinder backed up, gazing up the length of the cliff. It looked _a lot taller_ from below than it did from the top. Could she really make it, even with this plan? This help?

She bent her knees and prepared to take a running leap onto Pyrrha's shield.

Suddenly a loud screeching filled the air, echoing up and down the entire canyon. Vibrating the very ground!

Cinder turned, and gaped at the massive avian grimm that was swooping down at them from above.

The grimm blew right through the bridge structure, annihilating it.

Amidst all the crashing debris, Cinder saw a human shaped figure come flying out of it all, leaping down from the flying grimm itself!

It was the dark haired girl, Cinder realized; the girl hit hard, rolling, and coming up on her hands and knees not five feet in front of Cinder.

The grimm swept over their heads with giant talons wide, grasping for prey.

Cinder threw herself out of the way; Emerald and Pyrrha leapt left and right to avoid it.

The grimm flared its wings and soared straight up along the cliffside, shaking the rocks and blasting a gust of wind down onto them all that slammed Cinder face-first into the ground!

Cinder's open pouch of crystals scattered, caught up by the draft, and were sent tumbling into the depths of the canyon.

"No!" she yelled, reaching out a useless hand.

She scrambled to her feet and began picking up the survivors; a few waters, two fires, a single wind, a single gravity...

"No, no, no..." she murmured, stashing them away safely again.

She clenched her blades tight and stared at the arcing avian, which appeared to be taking a long, sweeping path back around for them.

Cinder looked past it, and saw a good half a dozen other students engaged with the scorpion grimm on the other side of the canyon - no bridge for them, how unlucky.

"That thing's tougher than it looks," the dark haired girl panted, rising to her feet and brushing herself off.

"What- is that?" Cinder stammered, returning her gaze to the giant flying grimm.

"A Nevermore," Pyrrha spoke, tense and apprehensive. "One of the most feared, powerful, and _cunning_ grimm on Remnant."

"Can our plan still work?" Cinder asked swiftly, glancing up the cliffside again. She showed off the single Wind crystal in her palm.

Pyrrha glanced at it, then at the one Emerald was still clutching tight to. "It could, yes - but you might need to do a bit of climbing near the top. Which would leave you exposed to the Nevermore," she added, troubled.

"I'll deal," Cinder decided. She had some fire crystals, she had a gravity - she could surely fend the Nevermore off until she could reach the top? "Let's do this already."

"I can help get you up there as well," the dark haired girl spoke, a bit hesitant. "You're going to use those Wind crystals and momentum to boost yourself up, aren't you?"

"Yes - if you think you can help, feel free," Cinder told her, unthinking. She'd do anything to win this already (or, at least, to win second place).

Everyone took their positions again - this time with the dark haired girl joining in.

Cinder clipped her swords to her belt, held her Wind crystal in hand. She gave a quick nod to Emerald, who was holding hands with the dark haired girl; Emerald jolted the Wind crystal she held to life with her Aura, and soared up high into the sky - dragging along the dark haired girl. Cinder watched them rise, swift as any airship. Then she took her leap forward, landing on Pyrrha's shield; Pyrrha waited a good two seconds, crouching down with her, and then she exploded with her Aura to send Cinder flying skyward.

Cinder stared up as she flew; the dark haired girl was leaping high off of Emerald's head, and then she was twirling around and jumping off a copy of _herself_ that swiftly vanished into thin air. _Nice Semblance._ Cinder stretched out her free hand as she rocketed ever closer to Emerald. Emerald hurled down her chain weapon when she was close enough; Cinder grasped the chain, and Emerald swung her up past her with all her might - a heartbeat before the Wind crystal ran out for Emerald. Cinder flew higher, faster, and Emerald was left to pierce her sickles into the side of the cliff to avoid falling all the way back down.

Then, Cinder was on approach for the dark haired girl, right as that girl reached the height of her arc. The girl threw down a long black ribbon for Cinder to grasp, and she did as Emerald had and sent her flying up higher still.

Cinder waited until she'd reached her own arc and pulsed her Aura through her crystal, clutched tight in hand; the winds swirled around her, bursting into an almighty updraft. She flew higher, higher still, the wind whipping at her hair wildly.

She was so close, she was _so close!_

The intensity of the wind began to fade, slowly but surely, and the crystal died on her.

Cinder snatched up a blade and stabbed it into the cliffside, hanging there.

She resisted the urge to look down, and instead focused on looking out at the Nevermore. The Nevermore that was now hyper focused on her, screeching and flying right for her.

Cinder dug into her pouch, pulling out a purple crystal. She glanced up - only a few dozen feet more to the top.

 _I can do this. I_ will _do this. I'm going to become a huntress, I'm going to become_ the best huntress _...Even if I'm second in initiation, I'll be first in everything else after!_

She activated the Gravity Dust and smacked it against the cliffside; purple energy pulsed outward in a radius along the rock, with a deep baritone noise. Cinder felt the effects of the crystal working on her body, and she flipped herself around and planted her feet on the side of the cliff. And she stood up on it, as easily as if she were on the ground again.

Cinder put one foot forward, and then another, tentative - and _waiting._ The Nevermore drew closer, its massive beak open wide...

Just as it was about to reach her, Cinder burst into a full on sprint, racing up the cliffside for her objective.

The rock shook under her feet as the Nevermore crashed into it, crumpling against the cliffside and screeching high as it fell for the ground.

The crystal pulsed in her hand, faster, less intensely every passing moment.

A glance down and Cinder saw the dark haired girl mounting the Nevermore again, swinging and slashing at it as they fell together. When they passed Emerald, Emerald wrapped both chains of her weapons around its neck and began to throttle it the rest of the way down.

Pyrrha, far on the ground below all of them, was taking powerful shots up into the Nevermore's underside.

Cinder refocused, putting her all into her legs as the crystal began to sputter, as it began to feel like she was entering lower gravity - but no, gravity was just shifting itself right again. She threw herself forward into a leap - the crystal died completely, shattering - and she flipped herself up onto the top of the cliff!

She landed hard on the grass, gasping as her Aura finally broke, and her ribs took the pain of impact.

 _Yessss!_ she gasped to herself. _I actually did it, I actually won, I actually-_

A loud screeching from below, and screaming.

Emerald's screams.

Cinder rolled over and pushed herself up, crawling to the side of the cliff. She gazed far below, spotting Emerald and Pyrrha engaging with the Nevermore on the ground.

Furious talons, sweeping wings, snapping beak!

Cinder's glorious victory didn't seem quite so much anymore, oddly enough...

She snatched up all the Dust crystals she had left and hurled them down the cliff, a stupid hope of an idea that they'd be of some use to her...to Emerald.

Cinder _hated_ having to just stand there and watch the fight unfold below her - but at the same time, she didn't want to jump down and undo all of this! Not her win, not the plan, no way in hell!

She breathed relief when the Nevermore collapsed with a spear through its head, and Emerald and Pyrrha clearly waved up to her.

She smiled.

"Welcome to Beacon, Miss Aryle, truly and formally now."

She whipped around, hand going to sword hilt - and she immediately removed it. "P-Professor Ozpin- Professor Goodwitch, ma'am, I-"

"Perfectly understandable," Ozpin spoke, raising a hand. He inclined his head, a faint smile on his face. "The throes of combat and the heat of battle cannot be understated."

Cinder bowed, going to one knee and ducking her head, putting her arms at her side. "I'm sorry, Professor - sir!"

"You've nothing to apologize for - you did remarkably well out there," said Ozpin lightly. "Although, I would like to know - whose idea was it?"

"Ah- Emerald's, Professor," Cinder said swiftly.

"I see. That was quite the bit of teamwork you pulled off with her - and with Miss Nikos and Miss Belladonna."

Belladonna - the black haired girl, then?

"Y-yes, sir. I'm...happy to please you."

A glance up, and Ozpin's smile was gone. A frown in its place. He came forward and reached a hand down to her; she took it, and he lifted her up. "Be proud of yourself today, not merely because you've impressed your teachers. But because of what you've _done_."

"I- of course. Yes. I- I am...proud."

"Good." That smile returned, briefly. "Now, if you would like to return to the school, or wait here for your friends...?" He gestured to a waiting airship nearby.

"I'll...wait," Cinder answered.

"I'm glad to hear that. Your friends will certainly need the support."

_Support? Me? My...support? I'm not even sure how to do that - or why I should. And what's with all this talk about friends? I've never had friends. I don't have them. I don't...deserve them._

_Do I?_

* * *

"The Black Rook pieces were retrieved by Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, Weiss Schnee, and Jaune Arc. From now on, you will be known as: Team RWYJ. Led by Ruby Rose."

Cinder eyed Professor Ozpin as the onlookers cheered. _Team...Rouge?_ She knew what _that was_ only because her sisters and mother were big into appearance, into makeup. She hoped her team name had nothing to do with makeup...

When her time came, Ozpin strode in front of them, gazing from one to the next. "The Gold Knight pieces were retrieved by Cinder Aryle, Pyrrha Nikos, Emerald Sustrai, and Blake Belladonna. You will be known as: Team NEBA. Led by Pyrrha Nikos."

 _Team Nebula,_ Cinder mused, shrinking away from all the camera flashes and turning her head. _It's not terrible..._


	7. Settling In

Cinder woke to fluffy softness and wonderful warmth.

In early morning's light, she blinked around at the room her team had been assigned. Four beds, four desks (with shelves). Simple and nice. But... _quality_.

Cinder knew quality when she saw it. And this was - but not obnoxiously, irritatingly so.

Emerald was sleeping in the bed next to Cinder's, flat out on her stomach atop the covers, nothing but underwear on - not even a bra!

 _What in the world is wrong with her?_ Cinder thought, rolling out of bed and adjusting her scarf. She had already put on her school uniform the other night, going to sleep in it. All she had to was slide into her shoes and adjust a few things - the vest, the skirt, the leggings. She'd never worn anything quite like this before, but she supposed it was nice. The leggings felt _really nice_ on her.

The only real problem was the collar on the blouse; even with it unfolded, the entirety of her neck was exposed, right down the front. She would have to keep wearing the scarf, then. Cinder didn't mind that at all - she _liked_ the scarf. She tucked it into her collar a bit to make it significantly more secure.

Cinder moved into the bathroom and did her hair up in the mirror - gave her face a bit of a washing up while she was there - and returned to the dorm room with a smile. She sat down on her bed and glanced at the nearest table, upon which all their schoolbooks and supplies were stacked and organized. Cinder hadn't done it; that had been all Pyrrha's work, last night.

She moved for the desk and opened a book, setting it in her lap. Dense, small words, and plenty of images of monsters. The pictures, she was interested in - the words? Not so much. It was all a big, annoying blur to her.

She ended up snapping it shut and tossing it away after a minute, which ended up waking up her...teammates.

"Oh, already getting a head start, are we?" Pyrrha spoke, in a groggy but lovely sort of voice as she sat up in her bed.

"Y-yes," Cinder mumbled, ducking her head.

"I think that's wonderfully studious of you," Pyrrha replied, stretching and standing up. She pulled her uniform off a shelf and went to change in the bathroom, coming back with her pajamas folded neatly over an arm. "Our classes do start at nine, and it's already close to it. After yesterday, I think we all overslept a little." She flashed a grin.

Cinder smiled back, nodding. "We deserved to."

"We certainly did," Pyrrha agreed, with a little musical laugh. "Should I wake Emerald, or are you going to?" she added casually, pointing.

"I will," Cinder answered, striding for the girl's bedside immediately. She reached down and seized her arm, shaking her roughly. "Get up! Classes start in-" She glanced at the digital clock on a high shelf. "-twelve minutes!" She might not have known words, but she knew _time_ ; being late for anything, or caught out of bed after a certain time, was grounds for some intensive punishments.

"You know, you don't have to be so rough with her," came the voice of the Blake, alert as she unfurled on her bed and took in the scene before her.

Cinder ignored her, focusing on Emerald's face. Only after those eyes had snapped open, and the girl had startled under hand, did she straighten up and step away. She went and gathered her books, dumping them into her new school bag. After that came a rainfall of assorted writing utensils and tools. Satisfied with herself, she slung the bag over shoulder and turned to fix her gaze on the clock. And nothing else.

Certainly not Emerald, who bared all and changed right in the middle of the dorm room - earning some averted eyes and stammers from Blake and Pyrrha - looking pretty pleased with herself while she did!

When the clock hit nine, Cinder moved for the door. She froze with hand on the knob. She glanced back at her teammates.

She didn't exactly know where to go first.

Pyrrha pulled a map of the campus out of her bag, all folded and nice. "It looks like our first lessons will be taking place...here," she said, showing the map off to Cinder and pointing to a location.

Cinder nodded. "Right." She opened the door and stepped through into the hall.

"Uh, Cinder, I don't think the rest of our team is quite ready yet," Pyrrha spoke firmly.

Cinder growled, stepping back inside. "Hurry up, then!" _I've come too far to be dragged down by you people! I've gone through too much to get here! I can't be late for my first class! If it's your fault, I'm going to...do...I don't know what I'm going to do to you people, but I'll figure something out that won't get me_ kicked out _!_

Emerald and Blake, thankfully, _did_ hurry for her; they were all out the door at 9:03.

It wasn't good enough for Cinder - it wasn't good enough for their teachers! And they wasted even more time running across the campus itself!

Cinder feared what kind of punishments Beacon gave to its students; she was doing her best to hide her anxiety as she finally entered the classroom.

"Aha, I see you've all finally arrived!" the rotund, moustache'd professor boomed.

"I'm sorry, professor, we were-"

"No matter, dear girl - it is your first day after all; we can excuse a little tardiness!"

Cinder blinked. She sighed with relief. _Lucky break._ There wasn't going to be a punishment - this time.

She gave the professor her complete attention as he began to address the room. But it wasn't long before she started giving up on that; she quickly realized it was the same sort of self-indulgent prattling she'd heard enough of back in Atlas.

Cinder had her head down when Emerald poked her, startling her something fierce.

The professor was speaking still - but now it was actually something she wanted to listen to.

"...the moral of this story: a true huntsman must be honorable; a true huntsman must be dependable; a true huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise! So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

"Me." The word emerged, quiet and simple.

Cinder's professor looked to her with furrowed brows; the Schnee girl let out a loud huff and smacked her hands onto the table.

Cinder cocked her head at the girl, finding a little smirk growing on her lips.

"Well," spoke the professor. "if you think so, let's find out! Step forward, and face your opponent." He gestured to the large, fortified metal cage in the corner of the room. It shook violently, and loud snarls emerged from its dark depths. Glowing red eyes of grimm peered out.

Cinder rose to her feet slowly, drew her swords from her belt and walked down the steps to the floor. She faced the cage, falling into her combat stance.

"All right," said the professor, holding up a giant battle axe of a weapon. "Let the match...begin!" He swung it hard, releasing the cage door.

Releasing the grimm inside.

It immediately barreled for Cinder; it had four evil eyes, large dangerous tusks, and armor all over it.

She bent her knees and held her swords at her sides as it approached. She could already see it in her mind, the easy kill: catch those horns with her blades, drive her knee into its chin and exert her Aura to send it flipping over onto its backside, and then kill it where the armor wasn't - its underbelly. Simple, efficient, cool and strategic. Everything a huntress was meant to be.

Cinder planted her feet as the grimm closed in on her, and rammed her swords left and right, getting them locked in behind the horns. She shoved back against the monster, though it still managed to make her give a good five feet of ground before she could stop. She grit her teeth and brought her knee crashing up into its jaw; she exploded her Aura and made to tug her weapons free-

And the grimm suddenly twisted its head aside and kept her left blade in place, taking her up along with it into the air.

_What?!_

They both crashed back onto the ground, hard. Cinder stabbed her free blade through an eye, then quickly, two more, leaving it with one. The grimm tossed its head and roared, sending her rolling away. She righted herself and fell back into her stance, narrowing her eyes at the monster.

Its red eye narrowed back at her, and then it flipped up and began spinning rapidly in place, until it let loose and came at her faster than she could have expected!

Cinder leaped high, twisting around in the air and landing behind it, clear of it.

She rushed at it before it could turn around, using her Aura to dash swiftly, and then she went into a slide that got her skinny, malnourished body underneath it; she lifted her knees with Aura empowered strength, taking its short legs off the ground, and she rammed both her blades up into its underside repeatedly, viciously! Two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve times-

And it stilled, and turned to nothing, the weight lifting.

Cinder rolled over and stood up, lowering her swords and looking to her professor.

"Hmm, unorthodox, but that just proves you're quite quick on your feet!" the man exclaimed, seeming quite pleased. "I did see what you were trying to go for there at the beginning, and sadly it didn't go according to plan - but that's another very important lesson for any huntress! To adapt when things go wrong, when the grimm act in unexpected, dangerous ways against us. Never forget that these creatures are cunning in their own right, and no true huntsmen can afford to underestimate them. Or it may be the last thing you do! But, if you're like Miss Aryle here, you can find a way to still emerge victorious! Yes, bravo indeed, Miss Aryle. That was quite a show!"

Cinder smiled, bowing. She put her swords away and returned to her seat.

The smile lingered on as her teammates congratulated her for her quick thinking and skill with her swords.

* * *

After a few more classes, it was time to eat.

Lunches at Beacon meant getting _a lot_ of food for yourself, apparently.

Cinder piled great spoonfuls of all kinds of foods onto her tray with eager hands. Took two boxes of juice, one of milk. Emerald copied her in this, as ever.

After seating themselves at a table, Pyrrha and Blake gave their two teammates strange looks.

"What?" Emerald spoke through a mouthful.

Cinder took a long drag from two different juice straws, savoring the taste and holding the liquid in her mouth for a full minute.

"Nothing," Pyrrha said quickly, raising her hands, her cheeks flushed. "It's just that you both are acting like the last time you had a good meal was a while ago..."

"Oh, it's definitely been _a while!_ " Emerald agreed, swallowing her mouthful - and immediately replacing it with more. "This is _awesome_ food - and we get this _every day?_ "

"I'd assume so," Blake murmured, burying her face in a book after a light little spoonful of her own food, so absent, so uninterested.

Cinder set her juices down, taking up a spoon and scooping up some seasoned rice. She took it in her mouth and held it, sinking back in her seat and closing her eyes a moment. No hand to smack hers away this time, no people prancing around her, taunting her with what she could never have, what she didn't deserve...not anymore.

_This- this is freedom. This...was worth it all. I made it here, and it's better than I ever dreamed._

"W-wait, you mean you really haven't had a decent meal in-" Pyrrha began.

"Hey, let me eat here, would you?" Emerald interrupted thickly, putting her hand in Pyrrha's face.

Pyrrha blinked, and settled back in her seat. "Of course; I'm sorry," she said quietly. But she still gave the two girls strange _looks_ throughout the rest of lunch.

* * *

After finishing their food, it was back to lessons.

The first was history, with a Professor Oobleck.

He talked fast, moved fast - made everything difficult for Cinder to keep track of.

She was glad when that one was over (not so glad to have an essay assigned to write).

Two more classes, and the schedule informed Cinder that there were going to be sparring matches in the atrium.

Rounded, wide open space, seats in rows, and a stage at one end.

The same place Professor Ozpin had given his speech to them on arrival.

Cinder was excited to abandon books and papers in favor of more fighting opportunities.

Her and her teammates entered the atrium, finding Professor Goodwitch standing on the stage, off to one side.

"Welcome to your first sparring session," spoke Goodwitch. "We have roughly an hour's time to us, during which I will be calling up one of you to fight; you will choose your own opponents. Any student may choose any other - even multiple, if you're so confident, or perhaps just eager to test the limits of your skills and abilities - and any student has the right to refuse a challenge. These matches will end when one's Aura reaches the red, as indicated on your scrolls. If a student's Aura happens to _break_ , the match _will end immediately_ ; I won't be having accidents under my watch! We will be following official tournament rules."

"Now," Goodwitch continued, sweeping her hard gaze around the crowded students. "Miss Nikos, why don't you start us off, please?"

Whispers and mutterings broke out as Pyrrha moved for the stage.

Cinder glanced around. She met eyes with Emerald, who shrugged. Cinder shrugged back mentally, focusing her attention on her teammate.

"Please, choose your sparring partner," Goodwitch addressed Pyrrha.

Pyrrha gave a nod, and began flickering her gaze from student to student. It wasn't long until they stopped on one. "Cinder - would you be interested in a bout with me?"

Cinder stared at the girl. She glanced down, passing her hand over sword hilts. She smiled. "Yes." She stepped away from the crowd, up onto the stage. She faced Pyrrha at a distance, watching the girl arm herself with shield and spear. Practice, ease - without even looking at herself. Cinder took her swords in hands and spun them about, holding them away from her body. She adjusted her footing consciously, let a breath go.

This was going to be her first time fighting another person besides Rhodes.

A sparring match with her teammate - her team _leader_. Her dorm mate. Her...maybe friend? _No, I still won't use that word. It doesn't mean anything to me - what do I even know about friends, anyways? How can I know?_

Pyrrha gave her a smile, a little wave. "Whenever you're ready!"

The lights suddenly dimmed, startling Cinder out of her own head.

She shook her head, refocusing. Another breath let go, in and out. Letting herself get used to the dark. Then, she exploded into action.

A furious dash forward with her Aura, slashing and twirling for Pyrrha, up close and personal! Pyrrha barely deflected and countered, a surprised look on her face, before it faded and was replaced with set jaw and determination. Pyrrha suddenly began to deflect, and counter, with significant _ease_ ; Cinder's relentless assault was like hitting air, almost. She'd glance off that shield, slide along the spear, be twisted and pushed in another direction! Cinder began throwing in vicious kicks and knees - one of which connected solidly, and sent Pyrrha flipping backwards.

Pyrrha flashed a brief smile as her head came up, and then she rushed at _Cinder_ , being the one to close the gap this time.

Suddenly Cinder was on the defensive; Pyrrha was everywhere at once, markedly faster, almost too fast to keep up with! Pyrrha was twirling her spear and taking swipes at Cinder, bashing at her with her shield, flipping and spinning. She consistently, easily batted away Cinder's swords, metal clanging on metal briefly, almost totally preventing Cinder from doing anything in retaliation now.

Cinder snarled at her and thrust and slashed, ending in scoring an uppercutting kick that transitioned into a backflip - and then another, for more ground gained. Pyrrha was on her in a heartbeat, twirling her spear to slash her across the chest, continuing that momentum and dropping low to slash across her legs below her knees! And then on _again_ with the twirl, but she pulled back at the end and straightened, and then the spear shot forward to slice along Cinder's neck.

Cinder threw herself at Pyrrha before _she could again_ , stabbing and thrusting and kicking hard! Pyrrha was put on the defensive again for several seconds, to Cinder's satisfaction - but it didn't last long. Not long before Pyrrha was back to redirecting her, blocking her, swinging the fight back in her favor. And she just _did it so easily!_ Cinder lashed out with a hand and shoved Pyrrha in the chest, triggering her Semblance at last; Pyrrha's chest armor began to glow, and she let out a shocked cry and shoved back at Cinder, sending her stumbling away and breaking contact.

Cinder rushed at her again, refusing to be put on the backfoot _again_!

Pyrrha waited for her, and then she threw herself forward through the air, flipping over, and then her legs were wrapped around Cinder's neck and she was using bodily weight and momentum to fling Cinder up over herself. Cinder flew across the stage, desperately righting herself in the air before landing; she skidded backwards and threw herself into two backwards handsprings, growling to herself.

Pyrrha suddenly hurled her shield at Cinder, at the same time as she lunged for her and extended her spear several times in succession. Cinder brought both blades to block the shield, but the spear struck her successfully in the stomach three times over. She gasped and doubled over, her Aura flaring fierce. Pyrrha was on her, not waiting this time; a slash to Cinder's arm, a sweep over her chest, a smack of flat side of blade to her neck, a _fist_ connecting with her cheek...followed up by a shield bashing her under her chin to send her flying high into the air.

Cinder twisted and tried to get her legs under her for a landing. She was shocked to see Pyrrha flying up right for her. Cinder burned her Semblance to its maximum, pushing all her Aura into it, scorching the dirty, dusty air around her; the particles glowed, and with a quick thought she formed them into six glass projectiles the size of pocket knives. She hurled them down for Pyrrha with another thought. Pyrrha's face twisted with shock, and four out of six struck her chest, while the other two were reflected by a slash of her spear.

Pyrrha reached Cinder regardless, shock turning to newfound determination. And then Pyrrha was grappling her in mid air, twisting and turning, and Cinder was slammed face-first onto the stage with a great _oof_. Her Aura shattered on the impact, amber particles drifting away into nothing. Cinder immediately threw herself over, scrambling to sit up. Pyrrha landed right in front of her, easy and graceful, letting out a woosh of air and a little laugh. She approached Cinder with swaying hips and a hand stretched out, as a buzzing noise rang through the atrium and the lights snapped back on.

"That was a _very_ impressive match! I had no idea about your Semblance-"

Cinder, sprawled, seeing that hand approach, was gripped by sudden panic and fear, and she did the only thing she could in that moment - did it without thinking: she pushed herself up to one knee, and rammed both her swords into Pyrrha's stomach.

Pyrrha took it on her Aura, red energy swirling, flaring intensely, and stumbled backwards; her jaw dropped as a cry escaped it. She gazed down at Cinder with shock, with a bit of fear, and...with hurt?

Cinder stared back up at her, her mind catching up with body. Her eyes went wide, and a little noise escaped her lips, too. She pulled her arms back and dropped her swords with a great clatter, scrambling backwards on her butt. "I- I didn't-"

"Cinder, what did you-" Pyrrha began, whispered.

"What did you _do_?" Goodwitch's voice snapped out, heels clacking as she strode for Cinder. "You are _never_ to attack your opponent when a match has ended! In a real tournament, that sort of disgusting behavior _will_ get you banned from the arena, and even ensure some _very serious consequences_ come down on your head! You're _very lucky_ this is merely a first year sparring match! But even _that_ is never an excuse for this kind of thing: this downright _dangerous_ , underhanded behavior! If she hadn't had her own Aura remaining as much as it was, you could have done Miss Nikos serious injuries! Possibly even _death_!"

Cinder shut her eyes and turned her head, arms going around herself. "I'm _sorry_ , ma'am, _I'm sorry, I-_ "

"Apologies are not enough here, not for this!" Goodwitch cut across furiously. "Stand up, take your weapons - I want you to go and sit down, and think about what you've done here today. You will not be allowed to be called on for any more matches this session - and likely not for the next several! I might even take you to see Professor Ozpin to discuss this incident with _him_."

Cinder opened her eyes and crawled back to her swords, snatching them up and leaping off the stage. She pushed through the crowd and made it to the seating area, where she seated herself very firmly. She sank down there, shaking, her head bowed.

The lights went on and off, matches came and went, but Cinder payed it all no attention whatsoever.

She stayed where she was, how she was, precisely and unchanging. Unmoving.

There was movement, footsteps, and for once, Cinder was able to catch Emerald before the girl could sneak up on her.

"Hey - class is over," Emerald greeted. She reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet; Cinder let her, surprising herself. "We need to get going."

Cinder noticed Blake looking at her almost fearfully, head turned, a troubled frown on her face; she noticed Pyrrha giving her a more straightforward, just plain _troubled_ look. She ducked her head to hide from it all, and she let Emerald drag her out of the atrium onto open campus ground.

As they walked across the grounds, no one said anything.

Until someone did.

"Cinder," Pyrrha's quiet, kind tones came. She put a hand on Cinder's shoulder; she did her best not to flinch. She was sure she _only_ cringed a bit. "Whatever that was back there, I want you to know I'm not angry with you for it. I'm not upset. I may not understand it, but I know that it has to have been-"

"You don't know _anything_ ," Cinder snarled, tearing herself free - of both Pyrrha and Emerald. She hitched a breath and strode away as quick as she could, grabbing at her scarf. With total panic, she realized it was very loose on her. She readjusted it with fumbling fingers. Had anyone seen anything? _Had anyone seen her burns?_

* * *

More classes passed into the evening.

Cinder's teammates attempted to talk to her, but she refused them every time.

Even upon returning to their dorm room, Cinder steadfastly ignored them all. Blake, at least, seemed happy to be ignored; she'd sat on her bed with a book immediately, burying her nose in it.

Cinder had to go into the bathroom to avoid Emerald (though, she wouldn't have put it past her to sneak in with her Semblance).

She spent well past an hour bathing herself, and then another hour just sitting there in the tub.

When she finally emerged, she'd regained a good bit of her composure. She held her head high, her body rigid.

"So, you're some kind of world class fighter?" Emerald was saying to Pyrrha.

"Yes..." Pyrrha said, like it pained her to admit it. "I've won four tournaments before."

Cinder sank onto her bed, listening intently. _So that was why I lost so badly to her! But, if she's that good...maybe she can help me get that good, too..._

"I want us to start fighting together," Cinder spoke up, voice flat. "All of us. We need to get better. We need to _be_ better." _We need to be the best. I need to be the best._ "We'll have sparring matches against you, every day."

"Cinder, hold on now," Pyrrha began. "I don't think I could be someone's instructor like that - not- not to you three. I'm _not_ an instructor, I'm not even really..."

"I think it's a good idea," Emerald chimed in.

"It is sensible," Blake agreed, thoughtful. "We need to sharpen our skills, and if we have someone obviously above us in skill level to train with..."

Cinder met Pyrrha's gaze.

Pyrrha's cheeks were pink. She sighed. "Alright, I can see I'm outvoted on this. So, as team leader, I'll agree to this. Sparring sessions every night - let's say, just before bed? We can rest up properly after each one, that way."

"Thank you." Cinder smiled.

"It's no trouble," Pyrrha replied, smiling back at her. "I'm happy to help my teammates improve. But, let's obviously not start until tomorrow night!" she went on hastily. "I'm very tired from today's matches. I'm sure you are, as well - Cinder?"

Cinder stared at the girl. She sighed, falling to her side on her bed. "Yes...I'm tired," she admitted quietly.

"Goodnight!" Emerald said instantly.

"Night..." Cinder replied, closing her eyes.


	8. Building Yourself Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made an uber long, dense chapter to make up for the two day wait! :) I was actually planning to split it into two, but I decided not to! :) :) It really all fits together nicely how it is I think!!! :) :) :)
> 
> So here you go!

Cinder's second real morning at Beacon brought many surprises.

"Cinder, is this your essay for Oobleck's class?"

"Yes..."

"A-and, is this your essay for Professor-"

"Yes..."

"And is _this_ your essay for-"

"Yes! What's your point?" Cinder said from her bed, where she lay flat on her back, arms and legs carelessly strewn in every direction.

Pyrrha regarded her a long moment, putting the papers together in a neat stack on the desk. Her hands went to her waist, joining. "A-are you finding all of this...overwhelming? Or, difficult-"

"It's not difficult!" Cinder snapped, rolling over onto her side and pushing herself up on an elbow. She set her free hand on her hip, glaring at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha sighed, shoulders heaving. "Do you still think I'm mad at you over yesterday? Our match? If that's what you think, I _promise_ , I'm not mad. I'm not even upset."

"I wouldn't care if you were..." Cinder murmured, looking away.

"I- I'm sorry you feel that way." A pause. "Cinder, please, if it's the textbooks, or the subject matter that's giving you trouble, you only need to tell me and I can help you with it. We can all help you with it! We're teammates for a reason - _your_ teammates. That's why we're here."

Cinder let her glare die off, thinking. She looked from Pyrrha's imploring face, to Emerald's eager, to even Blake's...interested. Or was that worried? Cinder dropped herself to the bed, rolled back onto her backside. She fixed her eyes on the ceiling intently. "Fine...yes...help me."

"Alright," Pyrrha said primly, coming to sit on the side of Cinder's bed. "What, exactly, is it that you're having...troubles with?"

Cinder thought about it. She _thought about it_ \- but she had no real clue how to make it translate into _words_. "I- everything?"

"A little more specific, please?"

"I don't _know_!" Cinder erupted, sitting up in a flash. Face to face with the girl now, snarling. "I just- I don't _know things_ , not like _you_ ; you can write and write away, all neat and nice, and I can't do that! I look at these stupid books and it's just- _nothing to me_! It's a mess, it's- I don't understand it, any of it! And then on top of that everyone wants me to _write_? I can't, not _good_ , not like _you! All three of you!_ "

Silence in the dorm room.

Pyrrha looked stunned. Emerald, downright shocked. And Blake...weirdly, something like sad?

"You- you don't know...how to read or write?" Pyrrha said slowly, very carefully. Cinder heard the unspoken part: _You got into Beacon_ without knowing how to do those things?

" _I can fucking read and write - it's just not perfect!_ " Cinder yelled, throwing herself off the bed and launching to her feet. She slammed herself against her desk, snatched up her would-be essay that was just lines and circles and scribbles (and some punctures). "Here, you want to see me write? This is what happens!" She took her pen in hand and started scribbling words over the page. After finishing, she tossed the pen across the room and stepped away.

Pyrrha walked to the desk, picking up the paper with a neutral expression. Emerald joined her, and then even so did Blake.

Cinder hunched her shoulders, looking at her feet.

"At least it's very- easy to read," Blake's voice, strained, quiet. "The letters are...nice and big."

"It's not... _that_ awful," Emerald murmured. "It just needs...a bit of...um...you could try staying in the lines a little better...maybe straighten out some of the..."

"We can help you with this," Pyrrha said firmly, setting the sheet aside. "We _will_ help you with this. We're your team, your friends. All right?"

Cinder glanced up, surprise coursing through her. No jeering, no insults, no parading it all in her face? Using it against her? Just...really wanting to help? Not even a thing in return, no catch? Just like Rhodes? Was Cinder really _that lucky_ in her life, to run into more people like that? A whole team like that? "You mean that?"

"Of course," Pyrrha replied seriously. "Why wouldn't I?"

Cinder looked away.

"Ah, Cinder, so...it _is_ just writing, isn't it? Or are you having problems reading over the materials, too?"

Cinder curled her fists, taking a breath. "It's...that, too. Yes. Half of it, I can't even...understand."

"Okay, then. Well, we'll work on that as well with you," Pyrrha said, nothing but kind. Gentle. "Would you like to start now, or in a few hours, when we have our study period in the library? But we _do need to start._ We can just help you with the essays today, and then we can start actual lessons tomorrow - over the weekend! We'll go to the library, spend a day in there; I'm sure they have some books on how to help people learn these things."

 _Books on how to help people learn to read books? What idiot came up with that idea without thinking it through first?_

"In a few hours," Cinder said instantly, returning to her bed. She threw herself onto it, face-first, and buried said face into the pillows. She put her arms over her head. She was relieved when silence reigned.

Further relieved when, as they began their second official school day, the matter never came up again.

But throughout every class, they _were_ plenty of _looks_ ; Pyrrha was spying on her quite closely as she opened up her books and payed their professors their due attentions. Every time, for many long, uncomfortable minutes.

Cinder did her best to duck her head and ignore her.

Lunch was another glorious time - during which she nearly puked this time, after actually _trying_ to finish all her food before it ended.

Then it was back to classes, and then...study period.

Cinder refused to be intimidated by a library; but she was a little bit intimidated anyway.

"Right, so," Pyrrha began, turning to face Cinder at their table with hands in her lap. "Which essay would you like to start with?"

"Oobleck's," Cinder muttered, trying her best to burn a hole into the table's surface with her eyes alone.

"I know that this is probably frustrating, or- embarrassing, even, but I promise you none of us are going to judge you for it. We just want to help you."

Cinder nodded. She sighed and finally lifted her head. "So - how are you going to help me?"

"Well," Pyrrha began, delicate. She gestured at Cinder's bag. "If you could get out our history book, try going to page eighty-two; that's the chapter where I found most of my references to work with."

Cinder obeyed, propping the book open in front of her. She looked to Pyrrha again, scraping fingers absently back and forth on the table.

"Alright. Now, the subject at hand is the Great War, and how it affected people of all kingdoms, as well as how it started." Pyrrha paused. "You just need to read through the chapter and write down the things it says - oh, but make it your own words! It wouldn't look good if you just copied it all down exactly how it is in there."

Cinder dropped her head and turned the book to the proper page number. Chapter twelve. _Atlas...something about emotions...slave labor...Vale's King and trade routes..._

She slammed her textbook shut and shoved it away, pushing herself to her feet. "I'm not doing this. It's a bunch of crap."

"Cinder, you haven't even tried-"

"I don't care!"

Pyrrha stood, too, now. "Don't you want to be a huntress? You have to do this if you want to graduate; you can't get by simply on combat skills."

Cinder snarled at her and turned away. _She's right - but I can't do this. Everyone else can, but not me. Maybe I just- wasn't meant to be a huntress, then?_

"Please, just sit down again. If this isn't working for you, that just means we need to come up with another way to help you!" Pyrrha said confidently. "Please _try_ to let us help you - we've hardly started."

Cinder reluctantly took her seat, gripping the edge of the table as she hunched over it.

"Can't we just write hers for her?" Emerald spoke up.

"What? No!" Pyrrha shook her head. "If we turn in her assignment with one of our handwriting, the professors would know immediately - it would cause all kinds of trouble."

"Just these ones," Emerald persisted.

"Oh...alright," Pyrrha relented. "Just the essays that are due on Monday, though! And we're telling the professors about the - issue - as soon as we can."

" _No!_ " Cinder yelled. "You can't tell them - you're _not_ telling them a thing!"

"Cinder, while I'm sure we're all glad to help you however we can, we aren't certified educators; we can't honestly do too much here - teaching someone these skills just isn't something we can do."

Cinder's mouth opened, silent, then closed. She dropped her head swiftly. "T-then why did you...why did you say you would? Why even g-go through all this right now? Was it all just to pull it out from under me and laugh?"

"No, no! I would _never_ do something like that to someone!" Pyrrha said fiercely. She put her hand on Cinder's arm. "I only mean that I- I won't be nearly as good of a teacher as...as a _teacher_."

"You aren't telling them!" Cinder choked out, balling up her hands in her lap.

"Why? It's absolutely _nothing_ to be ashamed of, or embarrassed about! All kinds of people here have all kinds of problems - most of them we can't even see, like yours - but we just- we work through them and we get all the help we can, and we-"

"No!"

"Cinder...could you please tell me why?"

"B-because...I..." Cinder struggled. "I'm already in trouble with the professors - Goodwitch - a-and the Headmaster can't be happy with me either! They w-won't want to help, they won't help; they'll laugh, they'll hit me for it, they'll...You can't tell them! It will make it all worse for me!"

A hushed silence in the library. Pyrrha's hand delicately squeezed; Cinder flinched anyways.

"Do you...really believe that any teacher in this academy would bully and take advantage of a student like that?" Pyrrha's voice was very calm, and very quiet.

"Yes." It was all anyone did - any adults. At the orphanage, at the hotel (Rhodes didn't count; he never did - he'd always been different).

That slender hand was stroking at her arm now - it felt nice, not painful. No nails digging in, no pressure that felt like it would snap her bones...

Cinder refused to look up, look at any of her teammates.

"Alright: I promise you I am not going to tell any of our professors a thing about this."

Cinder glanced at Pyrrha's face. It didn't _look_ like she was lying; she knew a lying face well by now. Just tricking you, just to hurt you behind your back anyways. But Pyrrha wasn't - she couldn't be. "Y-you...better not..."

A sigh, that hand patting at her before leaving. The nice feelings left too, leaving just cold absence.

"I'll do these for you," Emerald informed Cinder, stealing away her book and paper. "Don't worry about it!"

Cinder drew herself up and nodded, smiling with quivering lips. "Thanks."

But as she watched Emerald, her hand moving so precise and swift, Cinder began to feel every bit as worthless as her mother had ever told her she was.

"How do _you_ know how to do this so well?" Cinder asked, choked.

"I wasn't _always_ on the streets," Emerald said simply.

"You were on the streets?" Pyrrha spoke, aghast.

"No questions - I'm helping Cinder right now!" Emerald said quickly.

"Of course..." Pyrrha sighed.

* * *

After the study session, there were two more classes, and then Cinder was sitting out the sparring matches (Professor Goodwitch wouldn't even let Emerald sit and talk with her!).

But, Cinder managed to get some use out of it anyway, by observing all her classmates - taking note of weapons, Semblances, fighting styles and movesets, and thinking up ways to possibly counter them. It would all come in handy once she was free to rejoin them.

She was pleased with herself, and coupling that with the relief of the burden of essays, Cinder found herself in a good enough mood when the day's lessons ended. They want back to their dorm to enjoy their free hours together now in evening's fading light.

Her Friday was over; the weekend loomed - two days of total freedom! A small sample of the absolute freedom the life of a huntress would bring Cinder (if she could even graduate as one).

"Team: for our first weekend together, why don't we go into Vale tomorrow?" Pyrrha announced in the middle of their room, quite unexpectedly. Apparently, she was thinking ahead too. "We could all spend some real downtime together, and get to know each other a little better too. Blake, you seem to enjoy reading, don't you? Why don't we find a local library for you?"

"Sure - that sounds nice," Blake said, flashing a smile. Then, to prove Pyrrha's point, she went right back to reading.

"Emerald: I know how much you enjoy eating - we could stop somewhere and get some ice cream?" Pyrrha addressed her casually, lifting between her fingers a money card and waving it about.

Emerald's head came up from her prone position on her bed, and her face lit up. Maybe it was the enticing thought of ice cream, or maybe it was the tantalizing money card catching her eye (who could ever know?). "I like the sound of that; Vale is a nice place - and the food? Even better!"

Pyrrha smiled victoriously. Then, she set her gaze on Cinder. "Cinder..."

Cinder looked at her. Raised her eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Is there anywhere you'd like to go - something you'd like to do in Vale?"

"I...I'm not sure," Cinder replied. She hadn't exactly stopped to think about the specifics of what she wanted to do with her newfound freedom in life. Now that Pyrrha was making her stop and think, though...

Pyrrha gazed at her patiently, smiling slightly.

The idea came to Cinder after the bursting of an old memory, a sight and glimpse. "I want to find a weapon shop," she said finally, slowly. "I...I'd like to try something new, something I can start training with along with my swords."

"A new weapon? I can buy something for you - although, it will have to be a particularly cheaper model. What is it you want to try?"

"A bow - bow and arrows..." Cinder confessed her desire. Anxiety bloomed in her chest. "You'd...really just do that for me?"

"Of course," Pyrrha said simply. "We're friends."

 _That word again. Why does everyone keep using it? Maybe...it's something else I'm not good enough at to know about. Maybe everyone else knows better, and we_ are _friends...and maybe that isn't a bad thing...?_

Cinder smiled. "Friends - thanks."

"You're very welcome."

The feeling that came over her then was really, really _nice_.

Maybe...that meant Cinder should accept it, embrace it: after all, wasn't _any_ pleasure better than any pain?

Whether it was combat training, food, or the surprising help people seemed to want to give her with no strings attached, or those ways they touched her and made her feel nice instead of pained...

It all made Cinder feel the same way. The same way that this declaration of friendship did.

It made her feel _good._

"Now then, are you three ready to get outside and get in some training?" Pyrrha continued, smiling at them.

Cinder jumped off her bed and took up her swords. "Yes!"

Emerald bounced to her feet, grinning at Pyrrha. "Ready when you are."

Blake gave a sigh, shutting her book and carefully setting it aside. A small smile came to her face as she stood. "Let's get this over with."

The team left the dorms, descended the stairs to the ground floor, and emerged out onto the campus.

The dusk sky overhead was a swirl of fading oranges and intense reds.

They walked to the central courtyard, wide open and surrounded by curving rows of columns, a fountain in the center.

There they took up positions - three facing one.

"All right," Pyrrha spoke casually. "for these sessions I'd say anything goes: Semblances, Dust - if you have any on you - and any tactic or technique you can think of. The only rules we'll observe are the official tournament rules; when anyone's Aura drops into the red, they'll be considered defeated, and eliminated. If anyone's Aura goes so far as to break..." Her eyes flickered to Cinder (Cinder grabbed at her arm and looked away). "all conflict will immediately cease, so that we can be sure they're out of the way of danger. There isn't anything disallowing students from training like this in our off hours - but I'm sure if any accidents occur, the Headmaster will be wanting a few words with us. He might even be likely to forbid us from doing this anymore."

"I don't want to hurt anyone again." The words spilled forth from Cinder's lips, blurted and embarrassed. "It wasn't like I _wanted to_ \- I don't know what happened! I just...got a little lost..."

"We all understand that," Pyrrha assured, in firm tones. "Of course it was never on purpose - but, if you do find yourself getting... _lost_ to it all, then you need to have the clarity of mind to stop yourself, and step away from the fight. Just try to be aware of what's going on inside yourself, in your soul and mind, as much as you are of what's going on around you. Some huntsmen would say that's always a key part of any battle; you need to know how to manage yourself as much as your enemies. Your wellbeing, your health, your state of mind."

Cinder nodded, drawing a calming breath. _I can do this, it was just a mistake, it was a slip up - both times - I'm better than this, I was trained better than this, I'm in control of myself...I can't let_ them _still get to me even when I'm in a whole other kingdom! I have to be...perfect. Even if I can't win against Pyrrha - not yet, anyways - I can still win against myself! And I can win against..._ them _again. I already won by getting through it all, by getting free. I can win by not letting them screw me up here - screw me up with my_ friends _!_

Pyrrha seemed to notice her efforts; she smiled at her, nodded, and then drew her weapons. "We're ready to begin now?"

"I'm ready," Cinder said quietly, drawing her blades and falling into her stance.

"I trust you," Pyrrha said simply.

"I trust you, too!" Emerald said quickly, flashing a smile.

"Thanks," Cinder murmured. She breathed again, let it go free. She focused on Pyrrha, letting her body relax a little.

Blake drew her sword, her head turned away from Cinder.

"Okay, team: we'll start on three," Pyrrha spoke. "One...two...three!"

The fight erupted, instantly becoming a chaotic mess of Dust sparks and explosions, Aura flares (and even a few energy beams from Blake), and Semblances.

Despite everything at their disposal, hardly five minutes later and three girls lay on the ground, while one remained standing (the obvious).

"I'm not...done yet," Cinder panted, pushing herself up and grabbing her swords again. She wobbled on her feet and took a staggering step toward Pyrrha.

"Cinder, your Aura is already very low," Pyrrha warned. "You shouldn't be pushing yourself like this. In fact, just in general, you shouldn't be putting so much raw energy into these sparring matches. It's _just_ sparring. Exhausting yourself to death isn't productive."

"I can still fight!" Cinder gasped, swinging her swords in figure eight before her as she continued her advance. "Who just- gives up in a fight if they can still move? That's just making yourself...a helpless...it's idiotic."

"In a _real_ combat situation, yes," Pyrrha allowed. "But this is _training_ , remember?"

"Training... _for_ a real fight," Cinder argued.

"Well, yes, that's true, but- Cinder, stop moving." Pyrrha took two steps back, and then she put her weapons away. "I'm not fighting you anymore; the match is over."

"Fight me! You broke my Aura in our last fight."

"That was an accident," Pyrrha replied calmly, taking several more steps back, raising her hands. "We aren't generally supposed to get to that point - it's very dangerous. I misjudged the amount of damage I had already done to your Aura, and when I did that finishing move I accidentally took it the rest of the way down. But I never meant to."

"Well do it again." Cinder quickened her pace; Pyrrha matched her, backing up now off the stone courtyard and into the grass.

"No," Pyrrha shook her head, her voice hard. "Cinder: I really mean it - stop it. We are _not_ fighting anymore."

"We barely even got started...You weren't even fighting as hard as you were in our last match! That didn't help me, it wasn't...I need _more_. Faster, stronger. Hit me harder!"

"Cinder, it's over, _please_!" Pyrrha begged, putting her hands out in front of herself.

"What's the problem? Just fight like before!" Cinder growled, frustrated.

"I don't want to - I don't want to fight at all anymore! You're not listening to me. And if you continue _not listening_ , we are going to have a serious- _I said stop!_ "

Cinder lunged, swinging her blades. Pyrrha gasped and thrust out her arms; the twin steel blades suddenly went flying out of Cinder's grasp, as if they had been plucked up by a giant, invisible hand. They flew across the courtyard, sailing high, before coming down with a clatter a good hundred feet away.

Cinder's heart clenched. Her hands formed fists in empty air, arms still raised.

" _Enough,_ " Pyrrha whispered, dropping her arms to her sides.

Cinder's lips parted. Her throat felt so tight now. Her shoulders trembled. "You...you said you'd help me. _You said_ -"

"I _said_ it's over, _please_ ," Pyrrha cut across firmly. Then she turned, and began walking away.

Cinder lowered her fists, and squeezed them harder at her sides; she gathered all the dust in the open courtyard, burning it and twisting it into two separate shapes to solidify: twin glass swords. With her Aura running through them, they were as durable as any steel blade. She hurled herself at Pyrrha, slashing and slicing furiously, screaming and snarling at her! She didn't care, she didn't really mean it, of course she didn't! _Who ever did?!_ Whenever it came right down to it, _nobody would help you!_ Nobody cared _enough_!

"I don't think she's even sparring anymore!" Cinder heard Emerald exclaim from the sidelines, very distantly.

"In her mind, I don't think she ever _was_ ," she heard Blake reply.

But none of it mattered, nothing registered! _None of them mattered! Not enough to care, for her to care, for them...!_

Pyrrha whirled back around, face etched with anger, fear, and _hurt_. Her leg shot out, moving precisely past the glass weapons in the briefest second of openings, and connected with Cinder's chest, sending her flying with an explosive force of Aura.

Cinder soared back across the campus, striking an arched column and shattering it; debris from the column fell around her, and dust rose up in a great plume. Her Aura was shattered from the impact, and so were her glass weapons without the former to reinforce them.

Cinder lay on her side, motionless on the ground, her chest heaving. Her blurry vision gazing up at dawn's sky. A swirl of colors now...

"C-Cinder, Cinder are you all right?!" A blur of red and orange was in her field of vision now. "I- I _never_ meant to hit you that hard, I swear to you, I only wanted to make you stop!" Pyrrha was down on her knees in front of Cinder, grasping for her arms. Frantic green eyes, wide as could be, scanned her over. "Are you hurt - did anything fall on you, cut you? I'm so sorry! You were- you were supposed to control yourself, _how difficult is it to just stop when I tell you to?!_ "

Cinder flinched and curled up on herself.

"I'm sorry," Pyrrha whispered. Her hand seized on Cinder's arm, lifting her to her feet forcibly. Cinder looked into her eyes. Pyrrha looked back into hers - and then her eyes went lower, sliding down from her face. They narrowed, fixed to a single spot. "What- what is _that_?"

Cinder's blood ran cold. She already knew, the absence was already noticeable; that lightest breeze playing across skin of her neck. Her eyes flickered around the courtyard, finding the scarf in the grass, ten feet away.

"Cinder...please tell me what that is." Pyrrha's insistent tones, hardly above a whisper now. "How did you-"

Cinder screamed, throwing her elbow into Pyrrha's side and breaking free. She ran for her scarf, snatched it up, and then fled the courtyard without looking back!

Voices called after her; she didn't stop for any of them.

She raced across the campus, all the way back to her dorm. She kicked the door open and ran into her room, then slammed it shut behind herself. She gazed around, breathing harsh in the total silence. Cinder went to her bed and pulled her blankets off of it, carrying it all into the bathroom (the door to which also got closed - and locked). She flung herself into the tub and buried herself under the blankets, arms and knees drawn in as close as she could get to her body.

Her teammates, of course, found her in short order - it could hardly have been ten minutes.

Banging on the door.

"Cinder, Cinder, are you in there?" Pyrrha's voice. Sweet and worried. She cared - _just not enough_. She wanted to help, sure, maybe, but she wouldn't - _couldn't._ Hadn't she said it herself, even? Why hadn't Cinder listened to the girl's own words? Her own warnings? Why had she ever let herself start to think anyone else in the world could be like _him_? There was nobody like him! If there was, Cinder would have been out of that hotel way earlier. Or even...even adopted from the orphanage by someone _real_ kind, _real_ good.

But she'd never been, on either count.

"Cinder, if you don't say something, I'm tearing this goddamn door down!" Emerald yelled, nothing but pure _panic_.

"Just kick it in," Blake's shaken voice was heard. "She's not responding at all."

Cinder shut her eyes and startled as a loud _bang_ split the air. Several feet crossing the short distance; light and open air as the blanket was pulled up off of Cinder. She hesitantly cracked open an eye, turning her head slightly.

"You're all right?" Pyrrha spoke, an intensity to her voice Cinder hadn't heard before - it wasn't anger, it was something else. Pyrrha's hands shot out and grabbed Cinder's arms, pulling them up free. Her eyes slid along them before she let go, stepping back with a great sigh. "You're all right..."

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you?" Emerald cried - literally. "Why didn't you say anything?! For all we knew, you'd gone and hanged yourself with this thing!" she went on, giving the sheets a furious shaking.

"Hanged myself...on what?" Cinder said, utterly confused. _Why would I hang from a blanket, anyway?_

"I- you- don't try to be..." Emerald's mouth worked in silence before slamming shut. She swiped at shimmering eyes and _laughed_. "You're a _moron_ , you know that?"

"No I'm not..." Cinder murmured, setting her chin on her knees.

"Cinder, come on now, let's all try to get calmed down," Pyrrha said firmly, reaching for her again and pulling her out of the tub. "I actually think I have just what we need - something we can have fun with as a team besides trying to literally kill each other, since apparently that's all we're capable of..."

Cinder meekly allowed her team leader to drag her out into the dorm room again. Allowed her to guide her down to the middle of the floor. She sat there in silence as Blake and Emerald joined her. And then, Pyrrha finally did, setting a loud, clattering box down in the center of the four of them.

Pyrrha began pulling out little bits and pieces, and unfolded a big, colorful plastic board on the floor.

"What is this?" Cinder asked, toneless.

"It's a game," Pyrrha said, as patient and kind as ever. She even smiled at her again - like usual. Like...like nothing had just... "I used to play it all the time with my friends back in Sanctum..."

"Sanctum?" said Cinder.

"Argus's combat school," Pyrrha explained. She bent forward, hair spilling as she began placing pieces and little tokens around the board.

"You're from Mistral too?" The words came unbidden. Cinder froze as soon as they left her.

Pyrrha glanced up at her, genuine surprise on her face. Then she continued setting up the board, a smile on her lips. "You're from Mistral?" she said casually.

"Y...y-yes..." There was no taking it back now. No lying.

"Where did you live?"

"Mistral..."

"I see. What was it like growing up there?"

"I- I don't...hard?"

Another glance from Pyrrha - but this one wasn't to her face. It was lower, again. "I can't imagine..."

Cinder quickly began wrapping herself up in her scarf, tucking it in firm and snug. She bowed her head.

"So, how about I tell you how to play this? Or do you know?" Pyrrha said, still so strangely casual. She'd finished placing everything where she needed to, apparently. She straightened, and smiled warmly right at Cinder.

"I...no idea," she admitted.

Pyrrha looked to Blake and Emerald. "How about you two? Ever played?"

Both girls shook their heads.

"Well then, there's still plenty of things I have left to instruct you all on," Pyrrha spoke, nodding to herself. She gave a little grin, pushing her hair out of her face. She paused, eyes flickering aside - and then the grin was gone. "Blake...you look like you have something to say. Something troubling you? We are a team; we're all here for each other. We're all willing to hear you."

"I just want _her_ to hear me," Blake said, turning her gaze on Cinder.

Cinder frowned. She nodded. This was going to be it, wasn't it?

"I used to have a partner like you," Blake began, slow and quavering. "From a very young age, he was talented, dedicated. Driven. To succeed, to improve. And he did. He pushed himself, more and more, all the time. Further and further. He learned how to use a sword so quickly, how to win almost any battle. It was this intense, burning fire in him that he always had. What fueled his fire...was anger. Hatred. Spite. To hurt and...kill...because _he hated his enemies so much_. It even came to cause him to hurt his allies, even- friends. He was so consumed by it all." Her eyes went to Cinder, brief before looking away again. "I think you're similar to him, Cinder, except...except that what fuels your fire isn't anger. I think it's _fear_. You're not trying to hurt us just to hurt us, or because you hate us that much. Don't get me wrong, it's clear you're losing yourself to emotions in a fight, but it isn't anger. You're losing yourself to _fear_. Fear of what, or who, I don't know. But you are. And that can be just as dangerous as anger. Maybe more so. Because you...in your mind...you're desperate - desperate to put a stop to it. To the feelings inside you."

"He...worried me so much," Blake finished softly. "And you're worrying me so much, too. And I have no clue how to help you...any more than I did _him_. But I want to! He- you- are my teammate, and that means I need to be there for you. I'm just not sure how I can be..."

 _What?_ Cinder blinked rapidly. She let her head fall, her mouth and nose disappearing completely into her scarf. She wrapped her arms around herself, turning away as tears came to her eyes freshly. _Why are they still just sitting here like this? Why am I still just sitting here? No screaming, no hitting me, no pulling at my hair or throwing me to the floor? Why isn't any of that happening? Why are they all still acting like nothing happened?! Like I don't deserve all of that right now? I do, I'm worthless, I'm nothing, no one loves me. No one cares. They can't care, why do they still care? How...?_

Well...if this what they were going to still keep doing, then Cinder would just keep doing it too. It was probably going to end in a trick or a trap at the end anyways! Yank it out from under her, laugh in her face - "How could you really believe we'd forgive you? How could you ever believe we still cared after what you did?". And if she even tried calling them out on it, they'd go straight to hurting her, acting angry that she was being so rude and cruel. At least if you went along with it, usually the end wasn't as immediately painful as refusing to play along. And it _did_ always delay the pain...

"I k-know there's something wrong with me," Cinder whispered. "but I don't know how to fix it..."

"Let us help you fix it," Pyrrha said. "We've helped you so far, haven't we? With all kinds of problems. This is just one more. Maybe it's a bit bigger, a bit more serious...but it is something we can be there to help you with."

"Help me? Like you said you'd help me get better at fighting?" Cinder accused. She winced as Pyrrha's expression changed. She braced for a hand to reach out and smack her.

But it never came.

"Cinder..." Pyrrha reached down and tapped at the game board. "Let's just forget all about that and play, all right? We can discuss it more some other time. When we aren't all so obviously stressed and upset."

"Okay..."

"So what about you, Emerald?" Pyrrha said.

"Huh?" Emerald startled. "What about me?"

"What was your life like before Beacon? Where were you born, raised - did you go to any schools?" Pyrrha continued.

"I was born here - in Vale. I've...lived here my whole life." Emerald sighed and held up a hand. "I know you're about to ask me how I ended up on the streets, so I'll save us _all_ a headache and just get this out there."

"Only if you feel comfortable," Pyrrha replied.

"There's not much to it," Emerald said glibly, shrugging. "I lived in a normal house until I was fourteen, then got kicked out by my mom. Spent the last two years...on the streets. There? Happy?"

"Could I ask why you were kicked out?" Pyrrha said cautiously.

Emerald faltered. Then she shrugged again, throwing up her hands. "Screw it, it's not like it would be some big loss to go back to the streets again, and you people are bound to figure it out sometime soon anyways - mostly by my own fault..."

"Figure out what?" said Pyrrha.

"That I'm a trans girl."

"Oh. I see." Pyrrha smiled - she nodded. Bent down and plucked up a little figurine of a bunny rabbit, and held it out to Emerald. "Here's your piece."

"I've known a few transgender people before," Blake spoke, flashing a small smile.

"Where?" Pyrrha asked, sudden.

"Oh, nowhere," Blake responded instantly. "I grew up outside of Vale."

"I think that explains quite a bit about you," Pyrrha answered in turn.

Cinder was confused - What did "trans" even mean? - but nobody else seemed to be, so she wasn't going to say anything. She was still confused about her team _in general!_ She didn't need to add more to the pile.

"That's it?" Emerald said, looking between Blake and Pyrrha. "You're not going to ask me _anything_? Have I had surgery up here or down there, have I always felt this way in my soul or did I just ' _choose it'-_ " She scoffed here. Rolled her eyes. "-or maybe you want me to clear up _which way I mean_ , because, you know, that's apparently hard for some people? Or do you want to come rummage around in my drawers and find my meds?"

"No," Pyrrha said simply, shaking her head. "I'm sure whatever information any of us might be curious about can be found in library books. I wouldn't want to pester you with such personal questions."

"If you want to tell us more, I'm sure you'll tell us more," Blake added, shrugging. She looked to Pyrrha. "Do I have a piece?"

Pyrrha dropped a little brown bear figurine into her hand without comment. Then she picked up a small orange cat, and turned to Cinder. She offered it out. "Here you go - this one is yours to play with."

Cinder took it, looking it over in hand. She smiled. It was cute.

"W-what do _you_ think about me?" Emerald said suddenly, peering at Cinder with apprehension.

Cinder looked at Pyrrha. At Blake. Back to Emerald. She shrugged, ducking her head to inspect the game board itself, properly and critically. "I think you're nice."

Emerald beamed at her.

* * *

It was the most unexpected gift in the world.

When Cinder woke up, the world was exactly the same for her!

This place of pleasure, of good feelings, of _people who it felt nice to be around_. It was all still here, all still here _for her_.

It hadn't changed, gone up in smoke and burned down in ashes!

For whatever reason, it just _hadn't_. And Cinder wasn't going to try too hard to even figure it out.

She was just so, indescribably grateful that it hadn't.

Because Cinder had had to come to a single, solid conclusion - two choices. Either, A: They were playing a very long game to get revenge on her. Or, B: They were still telling the truth. People who _really_ cared _would still care_ \- wouldn't they? And that made sense to Cinder, and so...so...

It was still true, and still real.

Somehow.

Those laughs and smiles late into last night hadn't been faked, or imagined, or dreamed up.

And neither was the mood in the dorm this morning.

Cinder had _asked_ whether or not they were still going into Vale - and Pyrrha had said _yes_.

"Go faster, or I'm going on my own! I don't mind spending all Saturday in Vale _by myself!_ "

"Alright, calm down, we're coming," Emerald responded, laughing. "You really think you want a weapon more than I want ice cream?"

Cinder dithered out in the hall, giving her teammates _glances_ through the doorway. A low growl escaped her lips.

"Try having a little patience for once," Blake responded, rolling her eyes as she patted at the black bow in her hair with deft fingers.

Cinder's growl intensified. She shut the door - for lack of anything better to do - and a fluttering paper caught her eye. She tore it off the door and looked it over quickly.

_Professor Uri...free driving lessons on campus...weekends - 9:00 AM to 5 PM..._

Cinder jumped back as the door opened, only narrowly avoiding being smacked in the face.

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "I didn't think you would be right there..."

"It's- fine," Cinder grunted, clutching the paper still.

Blake's keen eyes noticed. "What's that? Oh - you want to sign yourself up for driving lessons?"

"Have you never driven before?" Pyrrha spoke, a strange note of concern in her voice.

"No, I haven't," Cinder admitted, looking away. "But- that's why I want to learn _now_." _I have to learn everything I can to be a good huntress! I'm still here, I still have a chance! I can't give up on that chance._

"I think it's a great idea!" Emerald said cheerily. "I'm sure you'll do great at it."

"Thanks," Cinder said instantly, smiling.

"Of course you'll do well," Pyrrha agreed swiftly. "If you apply yourself properly."

"Definitely," Blake said, giving a brief smile and a thumbs up.

Pyrrha took the paper from Cinder, giving it a glance over. She handed it back - eyed Cinder a long moment. "Why don't we come with you? We could watch, offer support. If you plan on doing this today or tomorrow..."

"I want to get it in today, after we come back from Vale," Cinder said. "And I don't need _support_ -" She broke off, seeing the way Emerald was looking at her. "Alright, you can come," she sighed. She _guessed_ it would be... _nice_...to have her- _friends_ around to help her. They were good at that. Good for her, for that!

So good it was still so hard to even believe.

* * *

"So, should we vote on where to go first?" Pyrrha spoke, as Team Nebula (NEBA) stepped off the airship.

"I vote ice cream," Emerald said instantly.

Blake shrugged. "I don't mind who goes where first."

"Cinder?" Pyrrha said.

"Ice cream is fine," Cinder replied. "I- I've...never had it."

"Never?" Emerald gaped. "Where did _you_ live? Seriously!"

"M-Mistral..." Cinder said quickly, looking at her feet. "I told you all last night - I said Mistral..."

"Yes, you did," Pyrrha said firmly, trading looks with Blake and Emerald. Her tone became relaxed again as she went on. "Ice cream without breakfast is going to ruin our stomachs, but I suppose it's just too irresistible...we'll have to risk it." She flashed a grin Emerald's way.

Emerald responded with one of her own, setting hands on hips. "I've had worse on an empty stomach. At least _this_ is going to be delicious before it all comes right back up!"

The team set off through the streets together (Emerald's expert knowledge of the city was relied upon to get them to anywhere - let alone the nearest ice cream parlor).

But they did arrive at their destination, entering the building in high spirits.

Cinder's high spirits fell, far and hard, when she spotted a group of familiar girls already seated in a booth (eating ridiculously tall ice cream stacks). Well...just one girl out of the four there, actually.

"Hey, look who it is! Team Nebula!" Yang Xiao Long was calling out, waving. She had a big grin on her face. "You guys had the same idea we did on how to spend your first weekend, huh? Great minds think alike, and all that!"

"Team Nebula?" Ruby Rose turned to eye them, her eyes bright. "Oh, hey, friends!"

Cinder only had eyes for the Schnee girl. Very narrowed eyes. The girl glared back, then turned her back to her with a huff. Pyrrha set her hand on Cinder's arm.

"Are you all right?" Pyrrha said quietly.

"Fine," Cinder hissed. "Just fine."

"You're not; you look like you want to hurt someone - Weiss Schnee?"

"You don't understand..." Cinder muttered.

"You keep saying that, and you are right: I don't understand," Pyrrha whispered. "But I could, if you would only open up to me a little more. Tell me what it is that's-"

"No."

Pyrrha sighed. "Then I can't help with this."

"I don't want _help_ \- unless you're going to help me hurt her."

"No," Pyrrha retorted, very firmly. "I'm not, and neither are you."

"Not yet." _Not until after I'm a huntress; I only need to wait four years, and then I can finally...anything I want to that- that...that_ cunt _!_ Cinder moved away from Pyrrha, stalking for the counter to join Emerald, who was relentlessly questioning the clerk about every single item on the menu.

Pyrrha and Blake hung back together, talking in whispers a minute before coming over to rejoin the other half of the team.

"We should sit near them," Pyrrha spoke decisively.

" _No,_ " Cinder snapped.

"You can ignore Weiss Schnee," Pyrrha said, calm and immediate. "But I think this is a great opportunity to get to know the other three members of the team. After all, we're going to be working together in the future - we'll have to go out on missions with them from time to time."

Cinder startled. She hadn't ever considered that. But now that she was...a dangerous mission did offer plenty of opportunities to make accidents happen... Just another huntress taken down by the grimm - who would think twice? "Okay," she said, smiling widely. "Let's go and get to know them."

Pyrrha gave her a strange look, but she didn't say anything. She turned and walked directly for Team RWYJ's table.

Cinder happily went along with it. Another consideration was that she would learn all the right buttons to press on the Schnee girl, and that would do nicely for now.

"So Ruby, do you mind my asking how you got into Beacon?" Pyrrha was asking the small girl in red.

Ruby looked flustered, waving her hands about. "Oh, tch, it wasn't anything special - just almost stopped a really bad baddie!"

"A really bad baddie?" Emerald repeated, staring.

"Yup!" Ruby said happily. "It was about a week ago now; I was around here in Vale, on my way to get some comic books, when a woman just came at me out of nowhere! She was really cool-looking, honestly - but scary. She had this black armor, this really long black cape, and a _really long_ sword! It was thin, sharp, and _deadly_! It had to be ten feet long! She sliced off a big chunk of _my_ precious cape! But I got it fixed up pretty soon after that."

"What did she look like?" Pyrrha asked. "Face, eyes, hair - that sort of thing? How about her age?"

"Oh! Well, I'd say she was early to mid twenties. She had really long red hair - right down to her knees! - and pretty normal brown eyes. Nothing too special there, really," Ruby dismissed. "It was her weapon and her Semblance that were off the charts! She was _sooooo fast_ , I could hardly even keep up! I'm pretty sure I would have been dead if Professor Goodwitch hadn't shown up and saved my butt..."

"Did she say anything?" Blake inquired, serious. "What she wanted, why she attacked you seemingly out of nowhere?"

Ruby frowned. She shook her head. "Not really - just something about how she hated huntsmen, and wanted to kill us all. Standard baddie dialogue, you know? But Professor Goodwitch said she's been a big problem across all of Vale lately. She hasn't just attacked me; she attacks all huntsmen, everywhere. She's gone after a couple of others before, over the last few weeks now...and they mostly all ended up dead."

"You were really lucky," Emerald commented.

"Don't I know it!" Ruby agreed fiercely. "But even though it was scary, it was still kind of amazing to watch her and Glynda go at it! They were _both_ so fast, so strong, it was like nothing you ever see in our sparring matches!" She turned and jabbed a finger at Pyrrha. "I don't think even _you_ could have landed a hit on this woman! She would have beaten you in five seconds flat! Like she kind of...did to me." She deflated at the end, cheeks rosy as her name.

"Then Professor Goodwitch was right: this woman is a very dangerous threat to huntsmen," Pyrrha said quietly. "If she's coming after us, it makes sense that she would stick around Vale. There are numerous targets to choose from."

"Seven of us are just sitting right here," Cinder murmured.

"I don't think someone like that would attack people in the middle of a shop in broad daylight," Emerald said, quick to reassure. "I'm sure we're all safe."

Ruby Rose quickly counted the tables. "Hey, don't you mean eight? You left someone out..."

"Yeah, she did. And I'll give you three guesses who," Yang snorted.

"Hrrrrg," the Schnee girl growled, glaring at Cinder head on. "How dare you imply that _I_ am not a huntress!"

"What did Professor Port say?" Cinder began idly, smirking. "Oh, that's right: 'huntresses are noble, wise, and honorable.' You're none of those things."

"Excuse me?!"

Cinder settled back in her chair, smirk broadening. "Your whole family are none of those things, Schnee."

"What's your problem with my family?" Weiss shouted, jumping to her feet. "From day one you've been nothing but rude, confrontational-"

"Confron..." Cinder burst into laughter. "Does using big words make you feel _better_? Too bad it won't work on me; _I_ _don't even know what that means!_ "

"Hmmm..." the Schnee girl hummed, putting finger to her chin. "Rude, disrespectful of my family, and surprisingly - illiterate? Are you by any chance some dirty faunus? Is _that_ what this is all about? Where are the ears? The tail? Come on, let's see it! Or are you properly ashamed of yourself that you're hiding it!"

Several people at both tables gasped, cringed, and...then started shouting at each other.

The end result was that _everyone_ was thrown out of the shop.

Pyrrha and Ruby were getting between their two teams - well, their two teams' most volatile members, specifically.

Cinder was happy to let Pyrrha guide her away, down the street in the opposite direction Team RWYJ was retreating.

Weiss Schnee was too _easy_.

And it was just _way too fun!_

Half way down the block, Pyrrha suddenly turned and stared at Emerald.

"What?" the girl said, ceasing her licking of a big chocolate ice cream cone.

"Nothing - it's just that I was going to pay for all of us," Pyrrha replied.

"Well, now you get to pay for none of us, and I still got mine with my own money," Emerald answered gleefully.

* * *

Even funner than getting a Schnee kicked out of an ice cream parlor, was entering a weapons shop for a brand new weapon.

Cinder told the shopkeep what she was looking for, and the woman waved around at all the racks and displays, simply telling her to find what looked nice and bring it up to her for purchase.

Pyrrha helped her with finding the right one - not too expensive, but not something that might break easily.

It was a metal bow, solid, weighted - but not too heavy. Powerful, too.

Cinder set it down on the counter top while Pyrrha did something with a card and a little machine.

The shopkeep eyed a screen, then nodded. "I figured you were huntsmen in training - but it's good to be certain. The payment is clear; the weapon's yours now." The woman fixed Cinder with a smile. "Put it to good use defending our kingdom."

"I will," Cinder answered earnestly, taking the weapon up again with reverence. She slung it over her back, along with the straps of the quiver (which held twenty, sleek black arrows), and they were out onto the streets once more.

"It's nearly been two hours," Pyrrha said, glancing at her scroll before stowing it away. "Time to visit that library of yours," she grinned at Blake.

Blake smiled brightly. "Emerald, do you know the way?"

Emerald nodded, delighted to play guide. She pointed off down the street. "That way. I've ducked into the largest public library a few times - they're always nice enough to give me a place to get out of the elements...or give me a nice glass of water."

No one commented on that.

* * *

It was past noon when they finally left the library.

Blake had several brand new books stowed in her bag, a relaxed smile on her face and a bit of a spring to her step.

Cinder couldn't help smiling too, holding her bow in hand and caressing it, while they walked back through the city for the airship that would return them to Beacon.

"You're already quite attached to that thing, aren't you?" Pyrrha said, amused.

Cinder nodded. "I- I really like it. Really, really, really."

"There is a word for that many really's, you know..."

"What word?" Cinder asked.

"Love," Pyrrha said simply.

 _Love..._ that _word._ That was the word that everyone liked to tell her she wasn't worthy of the most. That no one loved her, no one would ever love her...that she didn't deserve to be loved by anyone...

The thing was...Cinder really had no clue what that word even _meant_. So it never hurt _too much_ when people used it against her.

Maybe she could ask her friends what it-

Cinder felt something poke her in the back - and then untold agony tore through her body. She dropped her bow, and glanced down to see a very long, thin blade sticking out of her chest, right between her breasts. A pressure, internal tearing, and Cinder was suddenly lifted up into the air on that blade and tossed through a storefront window.

There was screaming, yelling, gunfire, movement out on the street...

"Cinder! Oh god no, no, no, no!" Emerald was there, picking her up in her arms. "You're going to be okay, you're going to be _just fine!_ "

A yell, a cease in gunfire, and then there was a swirling trail of blue energy, and a woman was stepping in through the broken storefront. Boots crunched on glass, long dark red hair swayed. Brown eyes gazed coolly at Emerald. A long, _long_ sword was held out at the woman's side; it was smeared with blood. Cinder's blood.

Emerald narrowed her eyes at the woman, and slowly began walking backwards with Cinder. She was using her Semblance on their attacker.

The woman's expression changed. Changed from being utterly _expressionless_...to a light smile. She raised her sword in a flash, and swept its ungodly length before herself with a high whistling noise. She was shrouded in that blue energy, and she slashed twice more in a single second's time; three long, thin, horizontal Aura beams erupted, moving through the air at different heights.

Emerald was unable to avoid them, unable to go anywhere. She realized this immediately; Cinder saw the panic in her eyes. But then she turned herself around and flung herself to the ground atop Cinder, wrapping her up in her arms.

Cinder wished she could have raised her Aura for extra protection, but her Aura was currently occupied trying to heal the gaping hole in her chest.

The lower-most beam struck Emerald, flaring her Aura and causing her to cry out in pain. The other two burned through several aisles of foods, sliced through a total of five terrified civilians hiding behind the shelves, and finally struck the far wall, burning wide horizontal slits in them that showed off the alleyway behind the store.

Emerald had barely even moved to push herself up again when there was a trail of blue, and the woman stood over her; the woman drove her long sword through Emerald's back, and through Cinder's stomach. Spearing them, pinning them to the ground.

Both girls screamed.

Cinder's head lolled to one side, cheek touching cool floor tiling. The pain was too much, she couldn't think, let alone try to move! And it was even more work for her Aura now.

The woman stared down at her - at her face. Something shifted there, and she knelt down before her, a hand gliding down the length of her own blade. Her eyes narrowed; Cinder realized she was looking at her neck. At her burn scars.

"Ah- a-are you...g-going to rub it in before I d-die?" Cinder choked, bitter, furious. Her lips spread into a grin she didn't feel.

The woman reached out for her, and gloved fingers touched her neck. They traced the scars, from one side to the other. She looked Cinder in the eye, her face naked with an emotion Cinder had seen on her friend's faces plenty of times before already: it was _care_. Tenderness. It was _concern_. And then, she spoke. Her voice was hardly a mutter, it was a bit low, a bit raspy - hoarse. "You don't deserve that...and neither did I-"

A rush of wind, a blitz of orange and red, and Pyrrha was flying at the woman; the enemy rose to her feet and turned to meet Pyrrha, ripping her blade free of Emerald and Cinder, and began to engage her - all in two seconds, her body covered in that blue energy.

 _Speed Semblance..._ Cinder thought absently. This was her, the very woman they'd been discussing not hours ago. The one who had attacked Ruby Rose. The hunter of hunters...

Pyrrha was fighting incredibly - faster, stronger, smarter. Powerful, and _angry_. It was the kind of all-out battle that Cinder had been trying to get out of her, _with her_! And it was more amazing than Cinder could have imagined.

Yet even so, it was nowhere near enough.

The woman was on an entirely different level from Pyrrha - maybe several - and it wasn't just her Semblance (Cinder noted the woman used it conservatively, turning it on for a brief second or two, and then switching it off again).

In the end, after twenty seconds of solid fighting, Pyrrha's Aura broke. The woman lit up blue again, twisted and flicked her sword, and Pyrrha's spear was sent flying away. The long blade stabbed Pyrrha in the chest. And then again. And again. And again. Cinder counted seventeen stabs in under three seconds. Pyrrha tried to bring her shield around to block, but the woman used her free hand to grab her wrist, holding Pyrrha's arm away with seeming ease as she finished her stabs.

The blue energy faded, and the woman stepped away, letting Pyrrha collapse at her feet with gasping breaths and clutching hands. With nothing said and not a single glance spared, the woman used her Semblance and disappeared from the store, leaving a trail of blue energy behind her.

The only positive thing Cinder could find in her mind about the situation, was that Vale's medical airship response time was very fast: they arrived in just two minutes.


	9. Building Yourself Up Further

After quick treatment and some hours of rest, Cinder lay in a hospital bed, listening to her teammates conversing.

"She could have finished us all off properly - but she didn't," Blake was saying weakly. "She just left us there."

"Maybe she changed her mind," Emerald murmured, with a glance at Cinder.

Cinder pulled the blankets up to her chin, sinking back against the mattress.

Blake sighed. She did her best to sit up a little, gazing at Cinder with a deep frown. "You don't have to hide it from us."

"Hide what?" Cinder said instantly.

"She was stabbed _twice_ \- we should let her sleep," Emerald spoke up, very loudly.

"No - she needs to know it's okay," Blake said, shaking her head. "Cinder, listen, after you ran off to the dorms last night - Pyrrha told us what she saw. She told us about your scars. And she told us not to bring it up with you. And when we got back and found you there...we're not idiots - we caught a fair few glimpses of it in person. You were in a really bad frame of mind that night, and you weren't as careful as you probably wanted to be about concealing it."

Cinder closed her eyes, turning her head away. So it wasn't just Pyrrha: it was her whole _team_ _!_ They knew. They all knew. Blake was right: _they_ weren't the idiots here. She was. "But you're telling me you know _now_..." she mumbled. "Why?"

"Because we're teammates," Blake said simply. "It's better to...have everything out in the open so we can work through it together...instead of hiding from each other. We show ourselves to each other, and w-we- we accept each other. Support each other."

That again. Always with the _helping_ , the _caring_. Real, true. All anyone wanted here was to help Cinder, not hurt her. Was it just a Beacon thing, or a Vale thing? Or was it just her teammates?

"Is that why you went along with it when I told the doctors I got this in a fight?" Cinder said suddenly, bringing hand to her neck.

"That's right," Blake said, encouraging. "We all accept you, no matter what's going on with you or where you come from. We'll always stand by you, even...if we don't really understand what it is we're standing by you on. But we know it has to be important, and personal, and...clearly something painful." She paused, sighing again. Then, she continued on. "We accept you, Cinder, for all that _you are_. And, Emerald, we all accept _you_ as yourself, too. I just hope you can all accept _me_ the same way..."

"Hey, I don't care who or what you are," Emerald said, waving a hand. "I wouldn't want to be a major hypocrite."

Blake looked to Cinder. "If I showed you something...something secret about myself...could you accept me, like you do Emerald?"

"Sure," Cinder said, more confused than anything. As long as Blake wasn't about to tell her she had been lying to her about caring, about helping, then Cinder was still...still going to- to _like her_. "Are you - trans-whatever - too?"

Blake smiled a little. "No, no. But I am- _different_ from most girls, in my own way."

"Go ahead," said Emerald. "I'm all ears."

Blake burst into laughter - then winced in pain. She reached up for her head, for her black bow, and she pulled it free.

Emerald stared, her cheeks flushed, her mouth a perfect "O". "I retract that statement immediately."

"Those look like cat ears," Cinder observed. She smiled.

"T-they are," Blake said, nervous. "I'm a faunus."

 _Faunus?_ Cinder's mind flashed back to an image, a sight seen often around the Glass Unicorn hotel - signs that read: _no faunus allowed_. Just from eavesdropping, she'd managed to pick up that faunus were "weird, dirty, filthy freaks" with human and animal body parts. She'd asked Rhodes about it once, and he'd said faunus were treated different, and he didn't know too many himself. That because they were different, they weren't allowed to do a lot of things that other people were - just like Cinder. More "unfair treatment", as Rhodes had called it.

Blake was _different_ for sure, but what did that really mean, coming from _Atlas_ people? If faunus were treated anything like Cinder was...Cinder didn't understand why they should be, any more than she understood why she herself had been treated that way. She wondered if _Blake_ had ever been treated like her before...

"Cinder?" Blake pressed. "You're...okay with this - right?"

"They're cute!" Cinder said quickly, unthinking. "I really, really- I _love_ them," she amended, trying out the new word.

Blake's face shone with relief - then, she blushed intensely. "Thank you..."

"They are kind of cute," Emerald agreed, grinning at Blake. "I think I like 'em too."

Blake replaced her bow.

"I thought we weren't hiding things from each other," Cinder voiced, confused again.

"Oh, no; I'm not hiding them from any of _you_ \- it's from...everyone else," Blake explained. She nodded at Cinder's scarf. "Isn't that the same reason you hide yours?"

"Yes," Cinder agreed, after some thought; maybe she didn't have to hide them from her team anymore, but she still wanted to hide them from everyone else. Her team, she felt she knew now, wasn't going to try to use them to hurt her - but everyone else? Strangers? Who knew?

And who knew Cinder's friends were so much like her? She wondered what kind of secret Pyrrha might be hiding. She couldn't ask her right now, though. Pyrrha was in another part of the hospital - an area they called "Intensive Care." Pyrrha _had_ taken the most hits - it made sense to Cinder. But it also...made her worry about her.

She didn't want to lose any of her friends. Not for any reason! Especially not to some woman who wanted to kill them all. Cinder had to get stronger, better, _perfect_ , now for a reason besides herself: she had to be able to protect her friends from getting hurt too! Like Emerald had protected her. Like Pyrrha had fought to protect them all (and failed).

Cinder had failed, too; she had been the first one taken out, and with one strike!

She had to make sure that couldn't happen again. _Ever_. No one was going to hurt her friends again - just like no one was going to hurt _her_ again.

Cinder reached over to the stand next to her bed, and retrieved her new bow. She held it in her lap, caressing it. A new weapon would be a good start to that, she thought. If this woman used a sword, Cinder would learn to use her bow, so she could always keep her at a distance. And attack her from a distance to keep her away from her friends. Take away her power, her advantages in combat.

"I can't believe they let you keep that thing in here," Blake laughed.

"If it makes her happy, why not?" Emerald said. "And we are huntresses in training; we're meant to have our weapons with us at all times - like today just proved!"

"Indeed, Miss Sustrai." The door had opened, and striding in came the Headmaster of Beacon himself, Professor Ozpin. "Although, I'd say it wasn't so much to keep Miss Aryle happy as it was to keep their patient calm and in her bed." He sounded so casual, so amused. Cinder was expecting him to be furious at them for failing so terribly! Failing at the one thing they were meant to be doing at _his_ school: fighting! But he didn't seem to be at all. "How are the three of you holding up?"

"We're all fine," Blake answered. "Have you seen Pyrrha?"

"I have just come from her ward," Ozpin nodded. "They've told me Miss Nikos is beginning to stabilize. When her Aura recharges, she should recover completely - as you three will. But even so, with the severity of your injuries, the staff here would like to keep you for another day, perhaps two if necessary."

"Yes, sir," Cinder said quietly.

"That woman who almost killed us..." Emerald began.

Ozpin raised a hand. "As difficult as it is to believe, I very much doubt that that woman actually ever intended to take your lives from you."

"What, does she have something against killing kids?" Emerald coughed. "Some little 'moral code?'"

"It is possible," Ozpin said simply. "Until her attack on Miss Rose, the only huntsmen she had ever gone after were full grown adults - all operating outside of the city of Vale. Either out on missions, traveling, or simply...living their lives at home." He paused, his eyes straying to Cinder's face. No, to the blanket she had pulled up to her chin. "However, I believe it's more likely that she only spared you because she wanted to send the world a message today."

"What message?" Blake asked.

Ozpin eyed them for a long moment. "The exact contents, I'm afraid, remain to be seen. But make no mistake, if someone of her skill level wished you dead, she would have finished the job without hesitation."

 _But she did hesitate,_ Cinder thought. _With me. And then she just left. She left...because of me. Because of my burns. She changed her mind. Why?_

"Regardless of intentions of our enemy," Ozpin was speaking again. "I'm indescribably relieved to see you all survived the encounter. Though, I fear next time we may not be so lucky," he finished quietly.

"If there _is_ a next time," Cinder began furiously. " _she's_ going to be the one to die, not any of us!"

Ozpin looked at her. Then, he nodded. "Perhaps. I'd certainly feel relieved if that were to happen, that the one threatening the lives of my youngest students was done away with. But I wouldn't advise you to let fantasies run away with you - you still have so very long a ways to go before you're even able to approach the level of a fighter like this one. She is-" He hesitated, glancing down. "She's a very dangerous individual, and was, even before events of recent months - her personal mission of hunting down our...huntsmen."

"It sounds like you know her," Emerald remarked, scrutinizing the professor.

Ozpin sighed, leaning on his cane. "Yes - but her identity matters little to the situation at hand. Or to any of you."

"I have a hole in my gut that says it matters a _hell of a lot_ ," Emerald retorted, scoffing.

"I understand your feelings. But I ask you all to focus on improving yourselves, making it through Beacon. After you've emerged on the other side as fully fledged huntresses - of undoubtedly great prowess - then you may feel free to pursue our enemy. I'll even give you my blessings. But until then...please, just keep yourselves out of harms way, and focus on your education."

Ozpin left them at that.

* * *

"Hey there - Nebula!" a voice called.

Team NEBA walked back into Beacon together after a day and a half - and found Team RWYJ right at the entrance to their dorms.

A blonde boy stepped right up to them, frantic. "Listen guys, we're so sorry that we couldn't have stuck around to be there. If we had been, maybe we could've-"

"Who are you again?" Cinder said flatly, eyeing the blonde boy.

He stared at her, jaw dropped. His shoulders dropped. "Oh- oh come on," he cried, throwing up his hands. "You guys know me! I'm Jaune, Jaune Arc - fourth member of Team RWYJ!"

Cinder shifted her new quiver of arrows on her shoulder, offering a small smile. "I don't remember you."

"Ah geez, do you _seriously not_...?" Jaune looked even more desperate. "You _met me_ over the weekend, down in Vale! The ice cream place! I was sitting right there with- okay, you know what, whatever! It's cool..."

Cinder strode past Jaune, heading into her dorm building, leaving several laughing voices behind her.

"Did you actually just joke around with someone?" Blake remarked, stepping up beside her. "I've _never_ seen you do that before."

"No," Cinder replied. "I really don't remember him being there." She hesitated, smile coming back to her lips again. "But, it _was_ fun to see him get like that."

"Get like what? Offended?" Emerald laughed.

Cinder smirked. "Yes."

"Hah!" Emerald exclaimed. "So is that the reason why you keep taking shots at that Schnee girl? Because that's just how you have your fun in life?"

"No," Cinder said seriously. "I just really hate her."

"Well, let's not get into that right now," Pyrrha said quickly, putting a hand on Cinder's arm. "Let's just get back up to our room and settle in. It's good to be back, isn't it?"

"It is," Cinder agreed. It felt like coming back to her room in the hotel basement, after every typical bad day there. A nicer place. Beacon was definitely a nicer place. The nicest place she could ever remember being. Not the hotel, not the orphanage, for sure! She...liked...Beacon.

* * *

After an entire week of waiting for what she'd missed, it came back around again: another weekend, and with it, another chance to try and sign up for driving lessons.

Cinder walked over to the garages on the east side of campus - for students - with her team behind her.

There was a sleek silver car sitting out in the open. Standing near it was her instructor, presumably - Professor Uri. The woman was tall, with scaly blue skin that glistened under the sun, blue hair, and strange slits on her neck. Her skin looked damp.

Cinder stared. And stared. And stared. "Are you a faunus?"

"That's correct, Miss Aryle," came the casual reply.

Cinder frowned, staring some more. "Why don't you have cat ears?" she finally asked.

Pyrrha gasped: Emerald snorted; Blake looked torn between outrage and amusement, shaking her head.

The professor's expression flickered, then she gave a small smile. "I suppose where you're from, there weren't many faunus around?"

"No, ma'am!"

"And I suppose this also means you haven't been paying too much attention in your normal classes?" The professor didn't wait for Cinder to respond. "Faunus aren't solely people who hold traits of mammals - we can come in all kinds of different shapes and sizes."

"Of course, ma'am..."

"Well, I hope I've sated your curiosity, Miss Aryle." Professor Uri waved a hand. "Let's get started with this, why don't we?"

Cinder ducked her head. "Yes, ma'am."

"Do you have any experience with driving before at all?"

"None at all, ma'am."

Professor Uri blinked at her. "Then this will be interesting for both of us. Come here, come on; let's sit you down - get your Aura up - and we can give you a... _crash course_." She opened the door and gestured inside. "Just be sure to listen to everything I say."

Cinder seated herself in the driver seat, and her professor closed the door gently after her; Professor Uri went to the other side, sitting down beside her. She noticed her team retreating _very_ far back from the vehicle.

* * *

"This isn't working!" Cinder exclaimed in middle of Beacon's library one afternoon.

"All right; so how about we try something that will work?" Pyrrha said easily. "We're in one of the best libraries in the kingdom, in the best combat school in the kingdom. Why don't you try finding a book about something you'd actually like to learn about? Something you're interested in?"

Cinder glanced around at the packed shelves of books, thinking. "I don't know what I...Dust?" She hadn't learned much about how to use it; Rhodes had needed to save his limited supplies for his missions when he would leave the hotel, and he had told her more than once that he himself wasn't too good with it. "Passable," had been his word.

Pyrrha nodded, squeezed her shoulder and went to look for books about Dust (with help from Emerald, unfailingly eager to help). Cinder's teammates traded looks and furious whispers before finally coming back with a single, thick book in hand. It was tattered and old, and dusty. Pyrrha sat down beside Cinder and began flipping through its pages with a look of deep concentration, nodding to herself and letting little odd words escape under her breath. Then, a final, satisfied nod and a smile. She slid the book over in front of Cinder. Her finger tapped under a sentence at the top, and stayed there.

"Alright, why don't you try reading this out," Pyrrha said, patient and quiet. "Just follow along with me here, and give it your best shot. Say the words you know, skip over the ones you don't - or give pronouncing them a try. If you are interested in Dust application, I think you'll find this section to be-"

"I can figure out how to _say_ words just fine, I just don't know what most of them even mean!" Cinder flared up.

"Of course. My mistake, Cinder," Pyrrha said, immediately and kindly.

"Sorry..." Cinder deflated, sinking down in her chair a little.

"It's all right. Why don't you try to...think of it as a battle? Another fight, a challenge?" Pyrrha said, rallying. "Except it isn't with swords - it's with your mind. A battle you need to win to become a huntress."

Cinder straightened up, narrowing her eyes at the words above Pyrrha's pointer finger. _She has pretty nails. She doesn't even have to smear makeup all over herself to do it, like those girls in Atlas always do...not that that ever made any of them look pretty anyways..._

"Ahem," Pyrrha cleared her throat, tapping finger to page. "Are you ready to try?"

"What? Y-yes!" _Focus!_ She took another breath, and began _trying_.

_"The concept of weaving Dust into clothing requires a great degree of skill and dedication, but can allow the wielder a great degree of versatility during combat - often to the surprise of an opponent. But this method also requires high upkeep, repairing the clothing after every battle, and replacing the Dust. Hence, in modern times, most fighters prefer to use sand Dust placed into cartridges and containers, processed and ready made for battle..."_

It took a hundred stops and starts, interruptions and catches - a great deal of explaining on Pyrrha's behalf. Many corrections, when Cinder botched plenty of words she tried to pronounce. But Pyrrha was always clear and good about, not even seeming to mind if Cinder blew up at her a few times. She'd just sit back, tell her to take a break, and they'd get back to it in a minute.

And in the end, they got through it.

Cinder felt as exhausted as she did after a hard fight. "So...it takes time to set up, time to fix up after a fight - but it's really useful, in a lot of different ways?" she struggled to understand. "And it can be a nice surprise for an enemy?"

"That's about right, yes," Pyrrha nodded.

"I want to try it," Cinder decided.

"Cinder," Pyrrha started carefully. "it's good that you're interested - but you already have your new bow to try learning, and I'm afraid Dust weaving isn't something you can just pick up and start. First, of course, you need to know how to sew-"

"I know how to sew."

Pyrrha blinked in surprise. "You do? Do you mind if I ask who taught you?"

 _My mother, in a way; I fixed up enough outfits of hers, and my sisters._ "I mind," was all she said aloud.

"A-alright, then...Well, I'm sure there are instruction books around here somewhere that actually go in depth into the process," Pyrrha said confidently. "We can find you them, and you can-"

Cinder stood, moving off for the shelves.

A sigh from Pyrrha, who stood too, and followed suit.

* * *

It was three weeks later (making it a full month since Cinder had started at Beacon), when team NEBA met on a sunny day out on the edges of the campus.

Cinder had asked Pyrrha three weeks ago, on another weekend trip to Vale, if she could have a new outfit, some new clothes for once (which led to Pyrrha asking her questions she refused to answer). Pyrrha had agreed, and Cinder had gone off on her own in a clothing store to buy what she wanted - making sure to keep it secret from her team. A bag she refused to let any of them look inside of. A bag she'd then hidden at the bottom of her personal dresser for the next three weeks to come, only ever removing it when no one else was around her.

Cinder even managed to find time to go off on her own to secluded areas of the campus, to dedicate her entire focus to her "secret project" as she'd come to think of it as.

Until now, three weeks later, she was ready to reveal the secret. The secret that wouldn't just help her against her teammates in private training hours, but also in Goodwitch's more official sparring matches - and, later in life, she hoped it would also be a great asset on actual huntress missions.

Cinder eyed her teammates very seriously, standing apart and away from them with her arms crossed - her secret bag next to her foot. "Okay, listen closely: _everybody is going to close their eyes and turn around, and don't take any peeks! Don't try, not until I say so! And god help me Emerald if you use your Semblance on me-_ "

"I promise I won't!" Emerald assured instantly.

"Okay, then," Cinder went on. She picked up her bag and started backpedaling. "But just to be sure, I'm going over here." She stepped around corner of a building, and quickly began changing. She enjoyed the feel of bare feet in the grass after removing her boots. She tore off her school uniform and threw it down, and hurried into her new outfit. Her labor of love over long, painful weeks now. A shuddering, nervous breath, an equally shaky smile, and a minute later she stepped out again into the grass to present herself to her friends.

"You can look now!"

Cinder's team turned around. And they stared at her, jaws dropped comically.

 _Did I mess this up? Does it make me look more like an Atlas girl rather than a Vale girl?_ Did normal Vale girls go around wearing a long-sleeved black dress with a high neck, black stockings and garter, and shiny black high heels? Cinder was sure they _must_ , or else why would that store have even had it all on display?!

Even still, her arm reached across her waist to grasp the other firmly. "I- I thought it looked nice..." she voiced nervously. It certainly _felt nice!_ It felt _so nice_ on her.

"It does; you look amazing!" Emerald cried.

"You're really rocking that look!" Blake agreed, giving double thumbs up and flashing a grin. But her cheeks were noticeably flushed.

"It's _extremely_...p-pretty," Pyrrha stammered. "Sadly, you won't be able to wear it around the school; but that just means you might want to think about modifying your school uniform as well! You won't have time to change in a battle." She cleared her throat after sweeping Cinder up and down in a way that had her squirming - and smiling very widely in a way she couldn't control. "Ahem, so, you're using Fire and Earth Dust, mainly, it looks like...and is that Lava? Is that all to compliment your Semblance?"

"Yes!" Cinder said, beaming. "Let me show you," she went on eagerly. She focused, pulsing her Aura through her clothes and raising a hand; her clothing lit up, and flames and burning dirt intermixed around her hand. She triggered her Semblance, just so briefly, and the particles coalesced and transformed into a solid black bow, and an arrow with a burning tip. Cinder turned, drawing her hand back as if with a cord, and she used her Semblance again and sent the arrow zooming toward the nearest stone pillar. It pierced the stone, and began to burn it inside. She flexed her fingers and dismantled the arrow, turning it into falling amber particles to litter the ground.

She materialized and notched a second arrow, using her Semblance to integrate little slivers of Fire Dust crystals into its tip, and released it into the pillar a few inches above where the first arrow had struck. She narrowed her eyes and triggered her Semblance in a powerful burst of heat; the shards of Fire Dust crystals smelted into the arrow's glass tip exploded, blowing a fist-sized hole in the side of the pillar, sending flakes of hot stone out to scatter the ground.

Cinder did away with the bow, and melded Lava and Earth Dust to form two hard, obsidian blades. She turned to her teammates with a smile, twirling the swords about before disintegrating them to scattered embers. She waited a beat, spreading her arms wide.

"That was incredible," Emerald breathed, grinning at her.

"It really was," Blake agreed, looking suitably impressed.

"It must have taken a lot of hard work and talent - even seasoned huntsmen don't usually try doing this," Pyrrha praised. "But you've managed it as a first year student, and in a matter of weeks."

"I- had a few failures..." Cinder admitted quietly. "Some attempts literally blew up in my face. If I hadn't had my Aura up, I might have lost an eye..."

"But you did it," Pyrrha said. "That's so amazing of you."

"I'll still use the _real_ bow you bought for me," Cinder said quickly. "It will help keep down the number of times I have to use my Semblance, saving on Aura; I'll only need to make explosive arrows, or make weapons if I lose my real ones - or if I don't have them on me when a fight happens." She looked at her friends with a wide grin. "I want to try using it in combat now - who's up for some sparring?"

"I don't think you should be jumping to trying to use a dangerous new ability against your teammates - not so soon," Pyrrha said swiftly. "You should wait until you have a sure handle on it. We wouldn't want any accidents - like the kind you said have happened to you already."

"But we all have Auras," Cinder protested.

"Just one misjudged shot and one of those could be blowing up in _our_ faces," Blake said quietly.

Cinder looked at them, her throat tight. Her fist clenched at her side. "I- I asked you out here, I asked you to-"

"I'll help you try it out!" Emerald said quickly, cheerfully. She took Cinder's hand and pulled her away. "It's going to be so fun."

"Emerald, as team leader, I don't think you should be encouraging her to-" Pyrrha began, warning.

"As her _friend_ , I don't care," Emerald retorted. "I guess you guys just don't care about seeing her happy as much as I do! Some teammates you are..."

"This isn't about happiness," Blake said evenly. "It's about caution with our lives and limbs."

"Ignore them," Emerald told Cinder, striding away and then wheeling about to face her with her weapons drawn. "We can do this on our own."

Cinder drew breath, lifting her metal bow. She managed a smile, and focused her mind on manipulating the Dust to form a new arrow...

* * *

"Please, come in - sit down. If you'd forgive me this opening statement: you look quite troubled tonight."

"Thank you, Professor." Pyrrha gave a nod, moving to seat herself at the Headmaster's desk.

Professor Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, peering at her in silence. He set it down and straightened up. He put his hands together on the desk. "What _is it_ that's troubling you, Miss Nikos? That which brings you all the way up to my office on a Saturday night - a night you could be spending with your teammates and friends."

It was the perfect opening, Pyrrha thought, and she grasped for it like she would any opening in battle, any chance. "That's just it, Professor, what troubles me are my teammates. I- I don't want to sound vain, or arrogant, but I've always considered myself to be a very straightforward, honest, and kind person. And now I'm the leader of a team, but my team is entirely comprised of...of introverted, guarded, c-complicated people. And, in many ways, I suspect...a fair bit dishonest. And I just can't seem to- to reach them, to talk to them in a way that- it's been weeks, and even after our shared _experience_ , I still know next to nothing about any of them." Pyrrha twisted her hands in her lap, dropping her head with a sigh. "I've made some progress, I've learned bits and pieces - some more major than others - but I can tell they are all, in their own ways, still holding most of themselves back. And there's- I...I would hate to sound overdramatic, but there are some issues with them that I...I think could be serious. One, in particular."

"You mean Miss Aryle," Ozpin said plainly. "I presume you aren't merely speaking about her intellectual difficulties."

Pyrrha pressed her lips together, nodding. She'd kept her promise to Cinder, but it had been unavoidable fact that the professors would find out - and they had; they'd assigned Cinder daily lessons to help her improve. Proper, real lessons. But even though they had, Cinder daily professed to hate them, and had begged Pyrrha to be the one to help her instead. Pyrrha had, of course, agreed, but only after extracting from Cinder a promise to try in her _actual_ literacy lessons with Professor Goodwitch.

They both knew Cinder wasn't trying too hard to keep her side of the deal.

It just made Pyrrha sad for her friend - and more determined to help her, herself, in their very unprofessional version of those lessons.

"Yes," Pyrrha spoke, returning her mind to the present. "We...our team has been having personal sparring sessions together for weeks now. They all seemed eager to improve, once they learned about my past - my accomplishments. I was happy to oblige them, to help my team how I could. But, during these matches..." She hesitated. "Whenever Cinder fails, loses, she always seems like she's expecting me to land a killing strike on her - a follow-up finisher, as if we were truly in a life or death fight. And...conversely, whenever she's winning, she starts to act like she's always just on the verge of actually trying to kill me. She- she puts _so much_ raw effort into these fights, it's like she thinks it really is a matter of survival."

"That is problematic, indeed," Ozpin spoke quietly. "I've spied a few of her matches against fellow students, spoken with Glynda, and she reports seeing the same behaviors in Miss Aryle, even in very clear training matches. I suppose we must then ask ourselves: for what reason does Cinder behave this way? What reason would she have to believe mere sparring matches are matters of survival for her? What is she thinking, what does she feel, where is her mind going, when she loses herself to these battles? Is it personality, nature...or is it some form of nurture? Instinct, memory, reaction learned and honed over years in an environment...not suitable for the healthy growth of a child?"

"I don't know," Pyrrha began. A white lie; she had some ideas, for certain - especially since seeing the burns imprinted on her neck. All kinds of sickening thoughts, of _abuses_. "But ever since I first met her, Professor, I- I saw it in her. The way her body moved, the way she would get this look in her eyes...that's honestly why I _chose_ to be on a team with her at all. I hoped that I could figure her out, maybe even try to help her with...whatever it is she has going on. Or at least be there to stop her from making...very big mistakes. I thought it was my duty as a huntress. Of course, _now_ it's not just because it's the right thing to do, but because I care for her!" Pyrrha went on hastily. "Because she is-" Pyrrha stopped. She glanced around. Leaned in. "She's dangerous, Professor. One of these times, someone is going to lose their Aura, and she isn't going to stop herself, or I won't be there, and someone is going to get seriously injured. Maybe even...even killed."

"I'm _certain_ it wouldn't be on purpose, not- not conscious, not malicious, she's not like _that!_ " Pyrrha said swiftly. "But...she does have problems that could affect those around her."

"My thoughts exactly," Professor Ozpin said, leaning forward as well. "It is quite a concerning matter. I think, to truly fix it, we must first discover the origin - get to the heart of it. I will ask you to direct Miss Aryle straight to me after you leave this room, so that I may speak with her. I...honestly believe this talk is long overdue with her."

"Of course, Professor," Pyrrha whispered, clenching her fists tight.

"It is not a betrayal to voice your worries, even about your friends," Ozpin said, as if reading her mind. "Some of them are indeed more serious than others." He paused. "As for getting your team to open up to you in general...I would think time, persistence and patience, and continuing with small steps along the way could yield results. Inklings, nuggets, yes, but that might be all they are capable of giving you at the moment. And perhaps, in the end, you will have enough pieces to put them all together and form a greater picture of who they are, and where they come from. The very past that defines them, and keeps them from being wide open and vulnerable with even you, their team leader and friend."

"Yes, Professor. Thank you."

"Do not thank me, thank yourself; you are what they need, Miss Nikos, rest assured of that - only, they may not know it yet. But in time...I'm sure they'll come to realize, and appreciate your efforts, and thank you for them even if they resisted them at first."

"Thank you," Pyrrha nodded, standing. She breathed, her shoulders lighter. She would be as patient as she could with her teammates, take every inch she could get with them. It was just how they were, for whatever reasons they had in their lives, their pasts. And Pyrrha could never blame them for it. Only try to understand, and work through it with them. She would continue on as she was with them.

* * *

"Do you know that the information given by every Beacon candidate at the entrance exams is meant to be as accurate as possible? Names, date of birth, addresses - information to allow the staff at Beacon, and the kingdom of Vale's government, to record and learn about every single prospective huntsmen that enters it. Yet, even with the information you gave, by all normal means I was entirely unable to track down anyone named Cinder Aryle - anywhere. Not in Vale, not even in Mistral, where you claimed to hail from."

Cinder shrank down in the seat provided by the Headmaster. She said nothing, bowing her head.

Ozpin gazed at her from across the desk. "Now, the obvious conclusion would be that the information you gave was _not_ entirely truthful. The next conclusion after that, would be that perhaps it was done for some nefarious, malevolent reason. But I'm not the sort of man to jump to so cynical of conclusions. So, I'd like to ask you, Miss Aryle: is what little you've told us about yourself true?"

"Y-yes," Cinder dared to lie, flinching to herself as she did. "I- I _was_ born in Mistral, on the date I gave, and my name _is_ real. First and last."

"Yet there is no record of you anywhere. Can you shed any light on this seeming contradiction between your word, and what is fact?"

Cinder dipped her chin further, hiding her mouth in her scarf and placing a hand over it. "No..."

"You're afraid, Cinder." A drop in volume, in tone. "Why are you so afraid?"

Cinder blinked, hating the tears that spilled free so suddenly. "I..."

"Are you in some kind of trouble? Are you perhaps on the run from something - or someone? The law, or is it family?" A brief pause. "You wouldn't be the first, you know. Beacon takes all sorts, from all kinds of backgrounds - sometimes very controversially, in the eyes of others. But most of the time, I've managed to give them all the kind of help they need, along with benefit of the doubt. I would like to give you the same, Cinder. Are you in need of help?"

"I- I j-just need...y-you..." Cinder tore the words from the depths of her soul, preparing for the punishments to come. "to s-stop questioning me...I- I'm _here_ , what else matters?"

"I think there is a great deal else that matters when it comes to you, Cinder. Clearly." There was no change, no snap, no flash to anger.

Cinder waited for it to come anyways. Any moment, she was sure it would. It always did. You _did not_ talk back! You did not _snark_ , you did not _hurt_.

"When you fight, you fight as if your very life and limb depends on it - even against your own teammates. Kill or be killed, put very simply. Clearly, you have a reason for being this way. I want to find out why so that I can help you change this, move past this; so that you don't one day accidentally injure a friend. Or, perhaps even take their life. Would you not feel guilty if you did, remorseful? Would you not miss them?"

"Of course I would!" Cinder burst out, furious. She looked down quickly, throwing her hands down at her sides, loose and still. Screwing up her eyes for what _surely_ was coming now!

"Then, please, allow me to help you. Give me more, more about yourself. Help me understand you."

Even _he_ just wanted to help her? Could she really...

_If you ever tell anyone about this, I will kill you - and no one will notice you're gone. If you run, I'll bring you back every time, and make you pay for it._

"I can't."

"Whatever it is you're so afraid of, surely you know they couldn't hurt you here. Myself, your professors, and your teammates would all be here for you - to stand between them, and you. And if it is family, you are seventeen - they couldn't take you away from here if they wanted to. You are _safe here_ , Cinder. I promise you that."

"I'm _not_ safe!" Cinder exploded, jumping to her feet and slamming her hands down on the desk's surface. Her palms burned with the power of her Semblance, forming superheated circles on the desk. "It w-was _legal, nobody cares, nobody ever stopped it - nobody's going to stop it now! You can't stop it, no matter how much you care!_ "

Ozpin stood, too, very quickly. He reached out and grabbed her wrists, lifting her scorching hands from the desk. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't damage this."

Cinder collapsed into her seat, gasping and shoving her hands into her lap, the burning power released.

Ozpin sat down too, slow and careful, his eyes never leaving her. "What was legal, Cinder?" he said gently.

Cinder's mouth worked, but nothing came from its strangled depths. She let a wild, quavering breath free and jerked her chin up. She gripped at her scarf, and pulled it down and away.

Ozpin looked, for a brief moment, outright horrified. Then his features were smooth and neutral, and calm as ever. "I would like to know - please, if you can - how you got this."

She couldn't say it, she couldn't tell, she couldn't...she couldn't, she couldn't, she couldn't- " _Atlas._ "

Ozpin gazed at her a long time. Then, very slowly, he stood, turning away to walk to the window. He stood with hands behind his back, silent and still as a statue.

Cinder let her head fall again, and took up stroking the smooth dust shards woven into her school uniform, in patches.

"I'm aware..." Professor Ozpin's voice came, quiet and controlled. "that Atlas has very different laws when it comes to 'indentured servitude', as they call it - laws that those of us here in Vale have long called what it is: _slavery_. I'm aware, as well, that these laws were written in lax enough a way that they include minors. Atlas has always had very different ideas about things like crime and punishment - mostly of the corporal kind - justice, and what most people call abuse. Domestic - child. It's something that I-" Ozpin cut himself off, his voice cracking, before going on as normal. "that _Remnant_ has tried very hard to change in recent decades. Something _that was never intended to be_ in the first place. Not how it is now. But I'm terribly sorry to say not much headway has been made there. As a consequence...many children continue to suffer horrific, unjust treatment under that system. Blind eyes are turned by even the minority that knows the wrongness of it. Children are not helped because the government itself endorses it, allows it to continue. Even supports preventing of attempts to otherwise act against it."

Ozpin finally turned to face her, bringing his hands to his front. "You were one such child?"

Cinder could only nod.

"Until only a few weeks ago? Your seventeenth?"

Another nod.

A sigh. "The age when those laws cease having affect, power over those bound in them, if applied to a minor." The man was silent again, a minute. Then- "The date of your registration at Vale's huntsmen liaisons offices, and the date you gave for your birthday in said register, are a single night apart. You came straight here from Atlas? After reaching age of majority? Straight from your...family?"

Cinder glanced up, seeing a calm face struggling to contain anguish. "Y-you- you can't send me back..."

"No, I can't," Ozpin said firmly. "I assure you, I've absolutely zero power to send you back there - just as there is now no one _in_ Atlas with the power to _take you back._ You are right, Cinder: what matters is that you're here. Return to your dorm, to your friends. But, I wish to speak with you again tomorrow, please. Come here again at this same time, if you would."

"Y-yes, sir." Cinder stood, pulling her scarf up into place again. She bowed her head, and left the office.

The last thing she saw before the elevator doors closed, was the sight of the man sitting with his head in his hands.


	10. Stage Of Acceptance

_Bang!_

Cinder slammed the door open and strode into the dorm room.

Blake was sitting on her bed with her legs drawn up; Emerald was flat on hers, her pillow clutched down over her head.

Pyrrha was standing in the middle of the room, her hands at her sides. Tall, strong. Her expression was very calm, and _set_. Her shield was on her back - her spear was collapsed, set on a high shelf in the corner.

"Cinder, I can't even imagine what it is you must be feeling right now, but you _need_ to try and express yourself properly - with _words_ , not just trying to make me _hurt_ because you're-"

Cinder threw herself at Pyrrha and took her to the floor, driving her fist into her stomach with a scream. She aimed another at Pyrrha's face while the girl gasped for breath. It connected, and Pyrrha's Aura flickered. She drew her fist back a third time-

Pyrrha's hand shot out and seized her wrist, holding strong. A leg was brought in, and Cinder was being heaved up off her and thrown aside. Pyrrha rolled, jumping to her feet and bringing up her hands. "Cinder, this is _not_ going to fix things between us; it's going to make it all much worse! Calm. Down."

Cinder flared her Semblance; her uniform glowed bright red, and flames burst to life in her palms.

Pyrrha sighed, looking at her sadly. "I _know_ that you can't mean this - not to _this degree_. This extreme. So I want you to know that I'm not going to hold this against you, Cinder. But..." Her eyes narrowed. Her hands became fists, brought up before her. "But that being said - all right: if you want to _make me_ have to calm you down, then I will. And after I do, we are _going_ to talk this out like well-adjusted-"

Cinder thrust out her hand, sending a streaking fire blast at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha's shield flew off her back and soared around her body to hover in front of her, blocking the blast. She slung her arm through it properly, eyeing Cinder intently. Cinder snarled at her and hurled another blast of flames, and then a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, taking more and more away from her outfit. Pyrrha blocked every single one of them, holding her ground. Then she dashed forward, and bashed Cinder across the face with her shield; Cinder fell to one side, stumbling and bracing herself on a desk. Pyrrha grabbed her arms and kicked out her legs, twirling with her and then slamming her flat onto her backside on the ground.

Pyrrha straddled her, pressing her shield down on Cinder's chest. Cinder struggled, but it wasn't just the force of Pyrrha - it was her Semblance, tenfold, reinforcing that pressure, that weight! Cinder screamed and thrashed and snarled at her, she swore at her, she punched and kicked - and Pyrrha took it all, just keeping her there, all in silence.

After many lengthy minutes, Cinder's throat hurt too much to continue, her arms and legs felt numb and sore, and she was just...far too tired. She let a breath go, letting herself go limp. She tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling, blinking with stinging eyes.

Pyrrha leaned forward atop her, putting her face in hers. Her hands were on Cinder's shoulders - but she wasn't _hurting her_. Just...holding her. Pyrrha's red hair hung down, brushing against Cinder's face. Emerald eyes blinked at her steadily. "Do you feel ready to talk now?" she said quietly.

Cinder nodded.

"Okay." Pyrrha sat up on her, removing her shield and replacing it on her back. She stared down at her a moment, then she stood up off her completely. She pulled Cinder up by the hand, and she held it even after Cinder had straightened. Cinder let her keep holding it; it felt _nice_. "Let's talk, now." She led Cinder to her bed, sitting down with her there.

"I don't want to talk," Cinder muttered. "I want this to stop."

"What?"

"These _feelings_. I want them all _gone_."

"Talking can do that for you - it has before, hasn't it? Surely you know by now that-"

"Not _these ones_ ; not _you_!" Cinder snapped. "Because you- you...why did you do that to me? Why did you make me have to tell him? Why did you _make me have to show him?!_ " She put her hand to her throat, bowing her head.

"So that he could help you - because I _can't_. I am _trying_ , but I'm not equipped to be everything you need. I'm sorry, Cinder. But I'm not a therapist, I'm not a literacy teacher, and I'm not a combat instructor. I can't be all the things you need. I can be your friend, your teammate, but I can't be much else. I can help you with the small things, but I can't do much when it comes to larger issues. Certainly not _so many_ different things. I'm _sorry._ "

"You actually _trust him?_ " Cinder scoffed. "You trust _any of them? Trust them not to just look away, or throw you back to it, or- or..._ "

"I do. And you have _got_ to learn to do the same."

"I've _learned_ to _never_ do that." Except for once. The one time it ever payed off. But there had been so many examples before that of it never paying off...that Cinder knew she wouldn't get lucky a second time. Not like that, not again. Not with an adult. It would just be more pain, more ignoring, more frustration. Again and again.

"Well, you're going to have to unlearn it, then. I promise you, no one is going to hurt you, or take advantage of you, or- or anything like that. Just...help you."

"You just _gave me up to him!_ "

"I was only trying to help you."

"Then maybe you're right: I don't _need_ any of your help any more," Cinder gritted out.

"You're still angry, and you're still hurting - and you're still trying to hurt _me_."

"You're the one who wanted me to use _words_ ," Cinder mocked.

Pyrrha sighed. "I'm sorry, Cinder. Maybe...maybe it was wrong of me to say anything. I'm sorry if you feel- betrayed by me, if you don't trust me, if you don't want to even be my friend anymore."

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry. I never meant to make you feel this way."

"You...really didn't mean to...?"

"I really didn't." Shimmering emerald eyes gazed at Cinder, imploring. "I'm _sorry_."

"I- I guess I'm...sorry for hurting you, too," Cinder murmured. "Punching you - trying to burn you. Several times over..."

"I accept your apology." Pyrrha hesitated. "Would it be alright if I hugged you?"

"Why?" People only did that when they were _happy with you_ \- why would Pyrrha want to do it _now_ , after hurting her? After Cinder had just tried hurting her back, too?

"Please?"

"Okay..." Cinder said, confused.

Pyrrha turned to her and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her to her body.

Cinder was expecting her to squeeze her enough to hurt, or shove her away and say she couldn't stand touching her any longer. Nothing of what she thought ever came to pass. In the end, Pyrrha gave her hair a stroke, drew back, and just smiled at her.

"Do you feel better now?"

Cinder considered it. "Yes."

"And are we still friends?"

"We're still friends," Cinder found herself saying, her mouth moving automatically.

"Good. I'm glad."

"So am I."

* * *

"On _the subject of your combat training, I would like to propose an ironclad, safe alternative for you. A way for you to continue your training entirely without...fear. You'll even be allowed to push yourself far beyond what you could in Glynda's matches, or your sessions with your team. No worries, no fears, Cinder. Just let it all out."_

_"How, professor?"_

_"How would you feel if I were to take you on for some personal, one-on-one training?"_

_"You...want me to fight you, sir?"_

_"Precisely. Would you be willing to accept my offer?"_

_"Yes."_

Half an hour after her second meeting with the Headmaster, Cinder was stepping up onto the stage in the empty atrium building. A building of wide open space and silence, and dim lighting. No crowds, no Glynda. Just...two people this time.

"We needn't confine ourselves to the stage," Ozpin spoke, cracking a smile. He beckoned her; she jumped back down again quickly. "In fact, I think you'd benefit from having more space to work with in a battle."

Cinder looked around the empty atrium. It _was_ a lot of space to work with, without the crowds; she was excited to see what she could do with her bow, and her Dust mage capabilities she had been working on in tandem.

Ozpin twirled his cane and put it behind his back, and he put a dozen feet of space between them. He faced her, scrutinizing her with narrowed eyes. "Are you ready, Miss Aryle?"

Cinder pulled out her twin blades, nodding. "I'm ready."

"Good. Remember, there is no need for you to hold yourself back - not with me," Ozpin replied casually. "Because - and I say this with one hundred percent certainty - there is absolutely no chance in this world that you could hurt me. Use any skill, technique, application of Semblance - or that Dust you've integrated into your school uniform."

Cinder's eyes widened. "How did you-?"

"Well, I _am_ the Headmaster of a combat school. That is an age old technique - but it's not so common anymore. It can offer certain advantages, in this day and age, but most see it as too costly and time-consuming to bother with."

"You're _sure_ I can just go all out? Against _you_?"

"Absolutely. In fact, I'd _like_ to see it from you; it would be very...informative for me."

"Okay..."

"Now, let's begin on the count of three. One - two - three!"

Cinder flew at Ozpin, blades slashing. Ozpin had his cane up to block her before she'd even completed the motions, and he redirected the strikes with almost lazy flicks of his weapon, little twists of his wrist. Cinder lashed out with a powerful kick; Ozpin twisted out of the way before she had even drawn her leg all the way up for the strike - she hit nothing but air!

Cinder rained down ever more furious strikes at her professor, but he blocked and dodged every single one of them! She snarled at him, fires roaring in her chest, and thrust out with a blade to pierce his chest. His expression changed, he gave an almost absent nod to himself, and then he swatted her blade far off to the left with hardly an effort.

She flipped over him and slashed for his backside - he turned part-way around and smacked her in the leg with his cane, causing her knee to bend. And with that alone, her balance was thrown off. She wobbled, and by the time she'd straightened again, Ozpin was standing five feet away. Just waiting, looking at her so calmly. That calmness _infuriated her!_ No, it wasn't just being _calm_ , it was _arrogance!_ Arrogance, hated, and acting like she was _nothing to him_ , that he didn't have to put in a single ounce of effort!

Cinder put her blades away and backflipped high into the air, drawing her bow and crafting three explosive arrows at the same time. A mixture of Fire, Earth (glass, that was), _and_ Lava Dust. She let them loose in mid-air, down for Ozpin. One to his left, one to his right, and one behind him - shot straight past him, grazing a leg. A miniscule pulse of her Semblance, and they exploded all together with a high pitched screech! Fireballs roared, great plumes of lava burst up from the floor! Superheated fragments of stone from the ruined floor flew in all directions, adding another element to Cinder's attack - a nice little bonus.

Cinder saw a strange shimmering of emerald in all the burning colors, and when it all cleared...Ozpin wasn't even there? She glanced around furiously, and found him standing a few feet to her left, his cane at his side.

_His Semblance? Speed or teleporting?_

She activated her Fire Dust, forming burning flames around her hands, and fired off several streaking fireblasts.

Ozpin leaned and ducked, avoiding them completely, his eyes never leaving her.

Cinder growled with frustration, snatched up her swords again, and hurled herself at her professor once more.

But no matter what she did, in any combination, with any timing or planning, none of it got through - none of it reached the man. His Aura only flashed _once_ , and that was from the stupid success of a single, close-quarters Semblance attack, where she had grabbed his arm briefly and burned it.

But in the end, Cinder got slower and slower, worse and worse, shaking and heaving and screaming obscenities, and then Ozpin rammed his cane's end into her stomach with a force of exerted Aura, and she fell backwards with her Aura _broken_.

Cinder held onto her swords with weak, numb fingers, sprawled flat on the ground. Hair a mess, sweat dripping down her body. She shut her eyes and turned her head aside, the rage and frustration draining away as surely as her strength - replaced with the cold fear of pain to come. She'd never been so tired, so _weak!_ And the man still looked like he hadn't done a thing except go for a brisk jog in the morning.

But minutes passed and nothing came.

She breathed a little easier, cracking an eye open.

Ozpin was sitting down on the floor nearby, legs crossed, his cane laid across his lap. His hands were folded.

"Your skill level is rather remarkable for someone who has only been at Beacon for a month," Ozpin said casually, a rather pleased look on his face. And _thoughtful_. "Your technique is already honed far beyond what someone of your - forgive me - _background_ should be. What you've given me, and what I can safely assume. Your ferocity in battle is nothing to scoff at, and your ability to adapt is excellent. As is your creativity, when you put your mind to it."

Cinder felt a warm glow in her chest, a light to cause a smile on her lips.

Ozpin's gaze was fixed to her, unwavering. "Tell me something, Cinder: have you ever undergone huntsmen training _before_ coming to Beacon? I don't doubt your talent, and your relentless drive to improve and succeed, but none of that could have gotten you to where you are in a single month's time here."

Her smile left her. "Yes," Cinder said, breathless. He knew. He _knew_ and here she was helpless. Lying wasn't an option.

"Could you tell me how long you were trained for - and who it was that did?"

"Seven years." Cinder looked up at the high ceiling, her smile returning. "A huntsman mentored me - in...in Atlas. His name was Rhodes."

"I see. Well, whoever he was, he did an excellent job of it. A little rough, in some places, a tad unrefined...but you certainly took it and ran with it. Your growth is exceptional."

"Thank you..."

"Hmm. Were you being trained to defend yourself, or was it solely so that you could enter a huntsmen academy?" Ozpin asked, curiosity in his voice. "Given the facts - your seventeenth birthday, the date of registration, and now this new information - I would guess it's the latter."

"The ladder?"

"Latter, Cinder. The second one."

"Right! Yes, it was...that. I- I didn't want to go back to Mistral, and I wasn't going to join the Atlas academy - obviously," she snorted.

"Obviously," Ozpin agreed. "So you chose to come to Vale - to Beacon."

"Yes. It was as far away as I could get. As...different as I could get."

"I see. How is your relationship with your teammates? With Miss Nikos?"

"It's...still nice. Pyrrha is still- nice. We hurt each other, but we made up." Why was she telling? And why was he _asking_?

"You are glad to have met her, then? To have a friendship with her?"

"I am," Cinder nodded. She didn't have to think about it. "I really, really- I love her."

"Oh? Well, I'm happy to hear you have such a wonderful bond with her."

"Thank you."

"What do you think of Beacon?"

"I like being at Beacon. It's been...all I could have dreamed of."

"Well, I'm relieved to know that my school meets your expectations. And we're all glad to have you here with us, Cinder. I am, myself, glad to have you here. I'm certain you'll become an excellent huntress."

Cinder pushed herself up, drawing her legs in as she sat. She glanced at her professor. "I want to become _the best_ huntress."

Ozpin gave a nod, indulgent. "Well, that's certainly a wonderful goal. I look forward to seeing you try to achieve it. But, I think Miss Nikos has you beaten there - and everyone else in my school. She's singularly unmatched in combat."

"She is," Cinder said easily, grinning. "For now; she tells me all the time that I'm improving, that I might even start beating her soon," she continued pridefully.

"Miss Nikos is a very kind person," Ozpin said simply. "But, with what I've learned of you here today, I wouldn't say it's not a possibility, myself, either. Perhaps a matter of months, perhaps a year...I'm sure you could."

"I will," Cinder said firmly. "I'm going to!"

"And I hope that you do," Ozpin said. He paused, rising to his feet. He walked to her, offered her his hand; she took it, and let him lift her up. "Thank you for agreeing to spar with me, Miss Aryle; I haven't had a workout in a long while now."

"I was happy to," Cinder said, bowing her head.

"Would you like to do it again?"

"Yes!" Cinder said instantly, shrill to her ears. She cringed and ducked her head again, proper and further. "Yes, professor..."

Ozpin only chuckled. "Excellent. How about we arrange for this once a week - does this same time work for you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then our session is concluded. I look forward to the next one."

Cinder nodded, and left the atrium with a wide smile.

When she made it back to the dorms, Emerald immediately jumped on her.

"How did it go?" the girl asked.

"It was great," Cinder replied.

"Really?" Blake spoke, eyebrow raised.

"Yes, really," Cinder said.

"I'm glad," said Pyrrha, with a smile. "I was honestly worried you'd make things...challenging."

Cinder threw herself limply onto her bed, and laughed. "It was _challenging_ , alright."

"I can tell," Pyrrha commented, giving Cinder a once-over. "But you do seem better for it. It really did help you?"

"It did," Cinder said honestly.

"Good."

* * *

One morning Cinder woke up very early, a headache and a twinging pain in her stomach.

She growled to herself and grabbed her uniform, stumbling into the bathroom. She flipped on the lights, splashed cold water on her face and brushed her hair, wincing at every new twinge of pain. After finishing, she set the brush aside and turned away, moving to get the shower ready. She leisurely undressed - shirt first, then shorts. And then her undergarments-

She blinked down at herself, and stared. And then she _screamed_.

Had she been attacked in her bed?! Or was it some lingering issue from her double sword wounds?

Panic shooting through her like lightning, Cinder's hand found her lower sword wound on her stomach, long healed over in the past few weeks. She pressed and prodded at it, but it didn't seem different! It didn't hurt! The pain was somewhere else in her stomach, more to the right of that injury!

And her _blood_ was everywhere! Her legs, on the floor! Cinder whipped around and saw she'd left a _trail_ through the dorm room!

"Cinder, is everything alright?!" Pyrrha appeared in the doorway in her pajamas, her hair a frizzled mess, but her eyes sharp with life.

"No!" Cinder exclaimed, gesturing down in general, frantic. "I think those idiot doctors missed something at the hospital - _what the heck is all this?!_ "

Pyrrha's eyes traveled down, narrowing further. Then, they widened and fluttered rapidly. Her cheeks took on a very deep pink coloration, and her lips parted. " _O-Oh my-_ oh, you don't- _of course_ you don't; stay right there, don't panic!" she implored, turning and racing away. She shut the door as she did, confining Cinder to the small, bright space. Rapid footsteps, and the door opened a mere crack. Pyrrha's slender hand emerged, holding a small package. "Here - just take these, follow the instructions on the back. That should- solve the problem."

The door slammed shut again, leaving Cinder in silence and confusion.

She turned the package over, and found a frustratingly large amount of tiny words - but there were pictures. Helpful pictures.

Half an hour later and she'd managed it. She showered and cleaned up the floor, and finally walked back out into the dorm room again.

Blake had her entire face hidden behind a large book.

Emerald was flat on her stomach, kicking her feet with her head resting on an arm. A little smile on her face as she absently inspected one of her weapons.

Pyrrha was sitting all nice and neat on the side of her bed, hands in lap, legs together. "Did you figure it out?"

"I think so," Cinder replied.

"Good! Great. Cinder...?"

"Yes...?"

"This really hasn't happened to you before?"

"No," Cinder snapped. "I've never been stabbed before, though."

Pyrrha looked torn between laughter and heartbreak. "Cinder...this is entirely unrelated to your injuries. It's a very normal, natural thing that is meant to happen to you."

"Now you're trying to mess with me," Cinder growled. "That is _not_ normal!"

"But it is! In fact, you can likely start expecting it to happen again, every few weeks, now."

"No. It never happened before."

Pyrrha sighed. "Cinder - before you came to Beacon, you didn't eat well, did you? Didn't eat...much?"

"T-that's right," Cinder murmured, looking at her feet. "But what does _that_ have to do with blood coming out of my-"

"I actually think it has a lot to do with it," Pyrrha said carefully. "Please, don't get upset, but...you look considerably more healthy now than you did when you first came to Beacon. I thought you might be ill, or perhaps suffering some kind of condition - but now I'm sure I know. It was malnourishment. You weren't eating enough, well enough. That's why you've been gorging yourself every meal, too. It makes sense. Am I right?"

"You're right," Cinder admitted, not looking up.

"How often did you eat before?"

"Once a day - twice if I was lucky," Cinder replied. She shuffled her feet and seized her arm, digging in her nails.

"Alright. And what kinds of things did you usually eat?"

"Bread and water. Sometimes a bowl of soup, if I got even luckier." The rare, lucky times when some hotel patron refused a tray for some stupid little reason, letting her eat away at it before having to throw it away.

"Bread and water. You mean sandwiches, or-"

"I mean _bread_ ," Cinder reiterated sharply. "A roll, a- bread. And a glass of water. I know what you're trying to get at, okay? And it's true: I was _starved! I got to go hungry when everyone else around me stuffed their faces on the most wonderful- the most-_ " She cut herself off with a growl, stomping her boot. Complaining never got you anything - just more punishment for _wasting people's time._

"Okay," Pyrrha's soft reply came. "And...I am sorry to have to ask about this, but- you weren't very happy, were you? And you weren't...treated nicely?" Pyrrha's gaze flickered to Cinder's neck.

"No, I wasn't," Cinder said flatly.

"And how- how long...were you being treated this way? Please, Cinder?"

"My whole life. And I mean it," she added quickly, irritated. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"All right; I believe you." Pyrrha drew a breath. "And it _is_ important, trust me. Because with that, I believe we have an answer."

"An answer to what?"

"To why your _problem_ started now - or, rather, why it didn't start before. Malnourishment and extreme stresses, especially both, and especially continuously, and _especially_ during puberty, can cause issues, delays - even only to some aspects of growth, while others go on."

"I have no idea what you're saying," Cinder said, exasperated.

"What I'm saying...is that because of the things you've gone through, and the way you didn't get much to eat, your body hasn't grown properly. But, since you have been here at Beacon, eating proper portions and healthy kinds of foods, as well as being in a much less stressful environment, I'm certain, your body is starting to catch up and develop more. And that isn't to discount the physical exercise you've been getting in all our sparring sessions, either! I'm sure that's been a great help to your physical development."

"Okay..." Cinder said slowly. "And, so I'm clear on this... _this_ -" She gestured down to herself, where that _discomfort_ was felt keenly. "-is supposed to be a _good thing?_ "

Pyrrha _di_ _d_ laugh now, a hand going to cover her mouth. "It certainly is - as much as we might not think so most of the time."

"I'd rather go back to starving..."

"Was that a joke, Cinder?"

Cinder glared. "No."

"But you didn't really _mean it_ , did you?" Pyrrha clarified swiftly.

"No, I didn't mean it," Cinder answered truthfully. She'd take terrible bleeding and pulsing pains and a bad headache, if it came with great amounts of great food every day, over going back to starving.

"Good! Keep eating, and keep eating _plenty_."

Cinder smiled. "I'm going to." A thought suddenly struck her; she looked Pyrrha up and down. "You have to deal with the same thing as I do?"

"Well, yes - I did give you the means of solving it..."

"Right." Cinder held the package out to Pyrrha. "Here."

"Oh no, you'd better keep it," Pyrrha said quickly, putting her hands out in front of her. "You'll probably be needing to use them again in a few hours..."

"Sure. Thanks." Cinder settled her eyes on Blake. Or, Blake's book cover. "Blake?"

"W-what?" the girl said, in a high, strange voice, muffled behind her book.

"Do you-"

"I'm _reading_ _this book!_ This very, _very immersive, incredibly mesmerizing, absolutely thrilling book!_ "

"Ugh...fine! Don't answer me. Emerald?" Cinder asked her other friend.

Emerald began laughing, waving a hand about. "Hah, nope - not me. And I'm _so glad_ I don't have to deal with that. Yeah...it's nice being me. Sorry, Cinder!"

"Grrrr...How?" Cinder demanded. "Tell me _right now_!" She refused to let herself have to put up with this ridiculousness if she didn't have to!

"Eh, I just don't have the organs for it," Emerald grinned. "What can you do, right? Different bodies, different problems. Or _no_ problems; go me!"

Cinder flashed out her hand, her skirt lighting up; a fireball scorched the wall above Emerald's bed.

"Hey! Not cool!"

Cinder put a hand on hip, trying out rolling her eyes. "If you wanted to be friends with someone _cool_ , maybe you shouldn't have made friends with a girl named _Cinder_!"

"Now _that_ was an attempt at a joke, wasn't it?" Pyrrha said hopefully.

"That one was, yes," Cinder admitted. "Was it good?"

"I thought it was hilarious," Emerald said quickly.

Cinder glowed. "Thank you, Emerald."

* * *

The next three months of Beacon's first semester passed Cinder by like the wind.

She could hardly believe she'd been free for so long, in this wonderful place for so long, with these _friends_ of hers...for so long already. Then again, her days were very busy.

Trips to Vale, laughter and fun, throwing herself further into her classes - and special literacy lessons with her professors - and even acquiring a steadily increasing collection of dresses (she had four now, and had taken advantage of Beacon's free Dust stores for students to weave it into them all - in case of emergencies). She had dedicated one dress to being her official sparring dress, not wanting to give away that she had Dust in her school uniform as well; it was a red, backless thing with a choker, that barely covered her rear (to her total delight; she'd found all the looks and words from her classmates to be very _pleasing_ , and basked in them).

Over all this time, it started to feel...normal. A new normal. Days free of pain, days free of being yelled at, days free of being insulted. Days free of _fear_ (at least, not much beyond failing her homework, or hurting her friends).

Well...mostly free of insults and pain.

The better she became at fighting, the more students she beat. Thanks to her daily sparring sessions with her team, and weekly sessions with Professor Ozpin, improving not just her prowess, but also her sense of self confidence, self control and ability to think. To be cool, calm of mind, instead of overcome with rage, frustration, or fear. This continued, until she was confident enough to start asking multiple opponents to fight her. At first, it was just two on one, then three on one...and now, Cinder was ready to challenge an entire team for the first time ever.

That team: Team RWYJ.

It was a sparring session near the end of the first semester. In just a few days, there was going to be a whole _two weeks_ without lessons - two whole _weeks_ of freedom. Cinder didn't have a clue how she was even going to fill up _that much time_! That was a question for later, though.

Today...Cinder was focusing on just one thing.

Cinder waltzed onto the stage with veritable hip sway, lighting up her short scarlet fighting dress with an absent jolt of Aura - just enough to make it glow, but not enough to activate any of the shards. She liked the way the orange light cast off onto the crowd that parted for her. She fixed a smirk on her face as she faced her four opponents, setting hand on hip.

"Let's try to give them a good show, why don't we?" she taunted. "It's going to be very disappointing if you all go down within the first two minutes of this match."

"Yeah? You think you're the hottest thing in the school now that you've racked up a few wins and changed your wardrobe?" Yang laughed. "Or that a little lightshow can intimidate us?" she went on, nodding at Cinder's outfit. "Fat chance. Let me tell you: the only thing that's gonna happen here is you're going to get a real reality check. You shouldn't have asked to take on all of us at once. Your tournament-winning team leader might be able to pull this off, but not _you_." She bared a fierce grin, smacking her fists together and deploying her gauntlets. "But hey, I'll be happy to be the one to check your flaming ego for you. You can thank me for it after you're down on the ground with no Aura."

Cinder ignored her very pointedly, looking to Weiss Schnee (Yang looked annoyed at being ignored).

Weiss flourished her rapier, her eyes narrowed at Cinder. "After I've beaten you, you're going to apologize for every awful word you've said about me and my family."

"After I've had _my fun_ with _you_ ," Cinder began, very softly. " _you're_ going to apologize for every last cruel act you and the rest of the Atlas 'elite' have carried out against the _poor_ people you keep under your boots."

"My family and I have _nothing_ to apologize for!" Weiss snapped out. "Least of all to some _nothing of a girl,_ who thinks because she changes out of a dirty outfit into an expensive dress, that it actually _changes anything about her_. Appearances are everything, you realize - and your first at this school wasn't a good one at all. That dress won't make that go away. You're an uneducated piece of riffraff who got into Beacon solely because she's good with a sword: bravo!"

Cinder snarled, creating flames in her hands. Then, she drew a breath, closed her eyes, and let it die. She offered up a smile, relaxing her arms at her sides. "And you'll never be able to change just how ugly you are inside, no matter how much money or luxury trappings you want to shower yourself with. Demeaning the faunus _and_ the poor, at a school famous for being accepting and inclusive of everyone? It's a shame no amount of expensive makeup can keep people from seeing you for the disgusting excuse for a human being that you are."

"This school _shouldn't_ let people like _you_ into it!" Weiss responded fiercely.

"No, it shouldn't let people like _you_ into it," Cinder returned, easy.

"And what kind of person do you think I am?!"

"Racist, classist...discriminatory." If there was one thing Cinder would thank her literary lessons with Oobleck for, it was all the wonderful new words she could use to string together into insults (it was like weaving Dust, almost). Learning how to hit back against people mentally instead of physically was really a lot more rewarding than she'd previously thought it could be - especially once you got _good at it_. And of course, it was her _only_ alternative to physical attacks, unless she wanted to lose her place at Beacon (which, she didn't). "I would have thought Beacon was better than this. But, I guess not, if you're standing here..."

"So you're a faunus sympathizer! I suppose you think the White Fang are a bunch of poor, innocent, misguided victims!"

"I think anyone should be able to sympathize with the faunus," Cinder said absently. "Being treated like trash in a world that claims to treat everyone equally...it's _horrendous_. It's sad. I can't think of anyone in _my_ circle of friends who wouldn't be moved to tears by their treatment. You clearly can't say the same - and would never _want to_. Obviously because you've never gone through any of it yourself. Not even an ounce of it! Not even close to that kind of...unfair treatment."

Although the crowd might have been _loving_ the trash talking going on in front of them, Professor Goodwitch was in no way amused.

"All right, children: enough!" she called out. "You're up here now to _fight_ , not to banter."

"Of course, ma'am," Cinder said quietly.

She surveyed her opponents once more, going over her strategy in her head: Weiss was a greater Dust mage than herself, she admitted it, so she needed to go in fast, hard, and _close_ to keep her from utilizing her full range of abilities - she was markedly less skilled in close combat, when she had to use her sword as _just_ a sword; Ruby Rose's weapon was better for fighting grimm, but she was still capable against people. She was mainly a close to mid range fighter, and very prone to zipping and leaping about, constantly on the move to disorient her opponents. To deal with her, Cinder would need to keep her at a distance, and keep track of her with that speed Semblance of hers; defeating Yang Xiao Long should be simple enough - Cinder would need to either wear her Aura down with miniscule amounts of damage so that her Semblance couldn't be triggered with any great amount of built up energy, or bombard her first off with _so much damage_ that she'd be knocked out of the fight before she could even have a chance at triggering the Semblance; and as for Jaune Arc? The boy was just so unskilled that Cinder could deal with him at any point in the fight.

Cinder could _do this_. She had this. Her friends had even told her she could win this; Pyrrha had told her she thought she could win this, at this point, now.

But who should she go after first? Ruby would be plain annoying, Yang could be evaded and avoided to render her ineffective, while Weiss Schnee could actually pose a real problem with all her long range Dust attacks and her array of glyphs from her Semblance. Those glyphs and Dust attacks could even interfere with Cinder while she tried taking out someone else on her team.

Weiss, then, was going to be the first one Cinder went after.

That was the _real_ shame; she'd been fantasizing about making the girl look like an idiot, toying with her, exhausting her, and then...making her cry, maybe even cause her to forfeit the match!

But Cinder couldn't afford to lose her first four on one match. Not even for something as enjoyable as that. It just wasn't _smart_. No, she would win this one, this first, and then challenge the Schnee girl on her own at a later time - sometime early on in the second semester, she decided. That way, she could give the girl her undivided... _attention._ Plus, it gave her something to really look forward to.

 _It'll be a treat as good as any ice cream_ , she told herself.

The lights dimmed.

Ruby Rose twirled her scythe, and she _smiled_ at Cinder. "This is going to be so _fun!_ Seeing all the things you can do has just been really, really _cool_...but actually getting to go up against it myself?! Your Semblance is awesome!"

Cinder took out her swords, rolling her eyes. "I don't fight for _fun_ : I fight to _win_."

"Yeah, and that right there just about perfectly sums you up, doesn't it?" Jaune Arc muttered, holding his sword and shield in an awkward stance. "You could stand to loosen up a bit, you know? Have some fun, do a dance, play a game of tag out in the courtyard? Do a few pranks?" He dared to grin at her, all stupid, like they were _friends!_

"I _do_ have fun," Cinder retorted. "Just not with any of _you_." She had _just_ played board games with her friends the other night!

"The match begins in three," Glynda called out firmly, with a little huff. "Whether any of you are actually _ready or not!_ "

Cinder shook her head, bringing back her focus. She could win, she had to win...but, she was also prepared for the _possibility_ of losing (small as it was). Something she had actually managed to start trusting in here at Beacon - just by sheer consistency in day to day life - that failing didn't mean pain, or withholding of food, or anything else like that. Beacon was not like before. Even still, Cinder was going to do her damndest _not to fail_. It saved on feelings of shame and self-hatred (and humiliation).

"Three...two..."

Cinder let her eyes drift to Jaune Arc, and allowed a wide smile to come to her face. She leaned forward, angled her blades toward him...

Yang narrowed her eyes at her - exchanged a look with Ruby. Ruby looked confused, then nodded, determined.

"Begin!"

Cinder burst with Aura, lunging for Weiss Schnee in a split second redirection of her entire body, blades slashing left and right across the girl's front! She swept her ankle behind the girl's leg and threw an elbow into her chest, slamming her to the floor. She stomped her heel down on the girl's stomach, flashed her hand down and blasted her in the face with a stream of intense flames, depleting a not-insignificant amount of her Fire Dust. She used her Semblance and tore off a large shard from her outfit, and let it drop onto the girl's chest. She backflipped to avoid a sniper round from Ruby Rose, and triggered her Semblance in the air; Weiss yelled out as the Dust exploded, point blank, and her Aura shattered.

Cinder came down on her feet, turning and bringing up her blades as an angry voice yelled for her-

And it was Yang, coming at her with a clenched fist cocked.

Cinder ducked under her blow and twirled away, kicking her in the backside as she did. She continued the motion as she caught a blur of red in corner of her eye, and was able to catch Ruby Rose's scythe between both her crossed swords. She thrust upward and kicked the girl in the chest, performing another flip backwards in the same motion - the same momentum.

Cinder burned flames in both hands and sent out six streaking fireballs in a row for Ruby - the girl twirled her scythe and blocked all of them, a look of intense concentration on her face. But she saw the girl was barely able to deal with them; they drove her back several feet, her steps quick and uneven.

Yang blasted her shotgun gauntlets at Cinder from the ground, thrice over, looking furious.

Cinder activated the Fire Dust on the back of her dress, blasting out a brief, single second of flames that propelled her quickly back to the floor. She could have blocked, taken it on her Aura, but she didn't want to take too many hits if she didn't have to - especially not from Yang, who always hit _hard_ , Semblance or not.

Yang was on her in an instant, punching and pushing, up close and personal.

Cinder blocked and deflected, evaded mostly, and always made sure not to strike at her - not too hard, if she had to, anyways. A little slice here, a slash there. A kick thrown into the mix of it all.

"Come on, hit me!" Yang yelled at her, frustration seeping in. "Or are you too scared to actually fight me head on?"

Cinder offered a smirk as she ducked under an arm and punched Yang lightly across the face, sending her spinning in the opposite direction. She leaped high over Yang's head and tagged her on the shoulder with a blade, then kicked her in the back to send her flying into Jaune, who had decided to actually _try_ to attack Cinder now. Jaune was bowled over by the flying Yang, leaving them both a tangled mess on the floor.

"Hiyaaah!" Ruby came at Cinder with her scythe swinging horizontal.

Cinder flipped back twice and leaped high, sending out three streaks of flames for Ruby, the same move as before; Ruby blocked them all with gritted teeth, twirled her scythe and began firing back up at her with powerful sniper bullets. Cinder blocked them on her blades quickly, allowing the bullets to send her even higher. She pulled off some Lava Dust from her dress and sent it all down for Ruby, splashing it at her feet. She flicked her wrist, and it all exploded up from under her.

Ruby was caught in it, crying out as her Aura flared.

Cinder struck her twice with quick fire blasts, taking her Aura down even further. She landed again, and drew out her bow and fired off an explosive arrow in an instant.

Ruby stared at the incoming projectile, looking as scared as she did _awed_.

Yang came rushing in suddenly from the side, putting herself between her sister and the arrow.

Cinder wasn't about to let her take the hit; smirking broadly, she flexed her fingers and activated her Semblance, preparing to perform a move she'd kept a secret from everyone except for her team thus far. As the arrow soared for Yang, who had planted herself with her gauntlets braced in front of her, it suddenly dematerialized, becoming particles of glowing amber. It all flowed right around Yang, and then reformed behind her, to continue on its way to strike Ruby Rose in the chest. It exploded _beautifully._

Ruby's Aura broke, and she was sent flying back, rolling across the floor to lay on her side. There was smoke rising from her scorched clothes.

Cinder lunged at the shocked Yang, getting in a few free strikes further on _her_ Aura before jumping back away as the girl retaliated with utter ferocity.

Jaune tried to swing his sword at her from behind - a surprise attack. Cinder bent forward and thrust a leg out behind her, catching him in the chin and sending him high into the air. He came back down and hit hard, faceplanting it.

Cinder leaped away as Yang began throwing a volley of Dust rockets at her. She circled around her and lunged across her, slashing her arm. She leaped again past Yang, slicing her on a leg with both blades. Yang fell to a knee; Cinder blew past her a third time, slashing her across the throat; Yang's Aura flared bright. She stopped just on the right of the girl's body, pivoting on a heel and kicking her in the face. Yang spun around and hit the floor. Cinder thrust both hands down at her and engulfed her in flames.

And Yang's Aura broke at last.

Cinder let the flames die immediately, stepping away.

"Yaaaaah!" Jaune was charging in from her left, his sword held high in the most obvious telegraph in the world.

Cinder turned absently to meet him, raising a single blade of her own to catch his downward swing. She lashed out with her secondary blade, slashing him across his chest. She stepped in and kneed him in the gut, doubling him over. A stomp of his foot and a slam of a sword hilt to his back had him on the ground at her feet.

Cinder kicked him over onto his back and stomped on his chest, grinning down at him. She put the tip of her sword an inch from his nose, and pulsed her Semblance; Fire Dust activated, and flames rippled across the metal blade, shrouding it. "Do you want to give up, or are you going to make me have to break your Aura too?"

Jaune stared up at her, slack jawed. Then he tried to bring his sword up for her leg in a bout of determination.

Cinder used her second blade to intercept it, and she locked their blades in struggle. Well, a struggle for _him_. Not so much for her.

"Could you stop messing with me already?" Jaune sighed, letting his sword arm fall in resignation.

"If that's what you want..." Cinder brought her flaming sword up high, exaggerating the motion, enjoying the way Jaune's face screwed up with total dread...and then she swung it hard across his face, shattering his Aura and sending his head whipping aside.

The match was called, the lights were back on.

Cinder let the flames die, stepping back off of Jaune. She held her head high as she walked off the stage, her lips spread in a smirk of absolute triumph.

"Congratulations on your victory, Miss Aryle," spoke Glynda. "A victory won through strategy, planning ahead, and having a good read on your opponents. Knowing how to control the flow of a fight, and making it all more manageable, can ensure a victory even in face of what might seem like overwhelming odds. An excellent lesson for any huntress to keep in mind."

"Thank you, ma'am," Cinder said sincerely, giving a bow. Something she'd never gotten before, but realized she very much enjoyed getting now, here at Beacon: the approval of her teachers, of adults. Their praise, their attentions, for doing a good job. God knew she'd tried, time and again, to please her mother with extra hard work at the hotel...but it had never earned her even an ounce of praise - just more punishment for even thinking she deserved any. But here...

She was getting it!

Beacon was different.

And Cinder loved it.


	11. Girls Do As Girls Do

"Am I fun?" Cinder demanded, immediately after returning to the dorms in wake of her victory over Team RWYJ.

"Of course you're fun!" Emerald said instantly, smiling brightly.

" _Anyone besides Emerald_ \- am I fun?" Cinder persisted.

"You're fun when you want to be," said Blake.

"You can be as fun as anyone," Pyrrha assured.

"Well...I want to be more fun," Cinder declared. "I want to- I want to..." What were those things Jaune Arc had accused her of _not doing_ for fun? "I want to...play a prank!"

"Oooh, on who?" Emerald asked, excited.

"Let me take a wild guess - Weiss Schnee," Blake said, rolling her eyes.

Cinder smiled. "Yes!" She looked at Pyrrha as she went on. "I want to play a completely harmless, normal, funny prank on her. I won't lie - there will be an explosion involved - but it won't be too big! Just big enough to...to...blow up a...cake? In her face? Yes, that's what I want to do! I want to blow up a cake in her face!" she declared with fullest confidence.

Pyrrha gave her a searching look; Cinder tried to appear as innocent as possible - head cocked, big smile, and her hands clasped together at her waist. "Alright. That _does_ sound like fun," Pyrrha allowed, with a small grin.

"If we ignore the part where you want to antagonize a girl you just beat in a match," Blake added, shaking her head. But she was smiling with amusement.

"We'd have to go into Vale to get a cake," Emerald remarked, wrapping her arms around herself.

"It's been months now, and nothing bad has happened to us again - I'm sure this time will be fine as well," Pyrrha comforted.

"Yeah..." Emerald sighed. "But that could always change..."

"If it does," Cinder began firmly. "we'll all be ready next time. We're stronger now."

"Yeah, we are - but we're still not strong enough for _that_ ," Emerald retorted. "You're _awesome_ \- especially after what you just pulled off against Team RWYJ - but you're not _that_ awesome. Sorry! But we'll get our asses kicked again, if _she_ shows up again. People might even d-die again..."

The whole team was silent at Emerald's reminder.

"We failed - but we'll be better next time," Cinder said quietly. " _No one dies_ next time. We'll protect them."

"You'd think," Emerald snorted. "Some huntresses we are, huh?"

"There haven't been any reports of attacks on huntsmen, or huntsmen academy students, since our own," Pyrrha said slowly. "Our enemy might have left town."

"Or she's biding her time, waiting for the perfect time to strike..." Emerald muttered.

"You don't have to go into Vale if you don't want to," Blake said, with a forced smile. "You and I could stay here - let those two go on their own. They're the better fighters on this team anyway."

"No way; I want to go with Cinder! She might need me."

" _Cinder is right here_ \- and Cinder says if you want to stay behind, you can feel free to." Cinder rolled her eyes at Emerald, regathering herself. "I don't mind you sticking to me like glue anymore, but it might be nice to _unstick you_ for a while..."

Emerald blinked at her, frowning, then looked away. "I- right. If that's what you want..."

"We're just going to get a cake!" Cinder said quickly, raising her hands. "We'll be back before you know it! Just- read books with Blake for a while! It's not like it's torture to be around her."

Emerald put on a big smile, nodding. "Okay! Yeah, we can have fun together by ourselves - right Blake? Just a t-girl and an f-girl palling around!"

"R-right..." Blake stuttered.

* * *

"Okay, we're back: everyone sit down, and let's get this started! There's a lot to go over!"

Cinder delicately placed the heavy, pink frosting covered cake on a desk in their dorm room.

"How much could you possibly need to explain about blowing up a cake?" Blake said, raising an eyebrow from the floor (her and Emerald seemed to have belted out one of their many board games to play).

"Yeaaah...I don't really see how this could take longer than five seconds," Emerald added - but she sat up anyways, giving Cinder her full attention.

"Everyone focus!" Cinder shouted, clenching her fists. "It _could_ have taken five seconds if you weren't all blabbering over each other!"

"Just go ahead and show them what you want to do," said Pyrrha calmly.

"Okay - well - what I want to do..." Cinder gestured to the frosted pink cake on the desk, then she held up a small, thin candle she had also acquired in Vale. "What I want to do, is put _this_ candle into _this_ cake - this candle which contains just a few little grains of Fire Dust, straight from _my_ dress - and then I'm going to give the cake to Team RWYJ. I'll tell the Schnee girl I've thought everything over and I want to apologize! But, of course, I won't," she added with a self-satisfied smirk. "Then, when she goes to blow out the candle...just a little flick of my finger and my Semblance will activate the Dust sand inside the candle, _blowing it all up in her face!_ "

Cinder eyed her team, nodding to herself and putting hand on hip. "It's perfect, right?"

"Well..." Emerald began.

"No!" Cinder snapped. "Emerald - _no!_ What else is there to even get about this concept?" she rattled out, gritting her teeth at the girl. "It's very simple!"

"I mean...it's just..." Emerald hesitated. "How are you going to make sure Weiss is the one who blows out the candle? Even with an apology, won't she be...suspicious of you?"

Cinder froze. She sighed, sagging where she stood. "Okay, yes, that's a good point. Thank you, _Emerald_ , for finding a major flaw in my plans! Does anyone have any _suggestions_ about how to make sure the Schnee girl gets a face full of cake?"

Pyrrha raised a hand, sitting very properly in a chair she'd positioned next to Blake. "Well, I _could_ use my Semblance, if we used a metal tray to put the cake on; I could make certain it's right where it needs to be when it explodes. And that way, Weiss won't even be able to blame _you_ for it."

"Good idea," Cinder nodded, thinking hard. "But I'm not sure I want to let you take the fall."

"That's so sweet of you," Pyrrha said, with a big smile that had Cinder feeling hotter than usual. "but it's only a simple prank - Team RWYJ will be annoyed for a few hours, and nothing more than that."

"Wait, what?" Cinder said quickly. "Are you _sure_ about that?"

"I'm sure."

"Damn..." Cinder hissed. "I want the Schnee girl's humiliation to _last_!"

"If _that's_ what you want, you could do it at lunch," Emerald offered up. "Right out there for everyone to see? Hah, people will be talking about it for _days!_ "

"Hmm..." Cinder mused, bringing hand to chin. "That's good - we make it public. And so soon after her losing to me in sparring classes, it will just add to what she's already feeling...Emerald, you're _amazing!_ "

"I do what I do," Emerald grinned, leaning back and putting her hands behind her head.

"So then, is everyone clear on how we're doing this?"

"Ah - are we all agreed that I can do my part to help make sure it all goes smoothly?" Pyrrha spoke up.

Cinder waved a hand. "Okay, yes - you can help with your Semblance. Where are we going to get a metal tray?"

"The...kitchens?" Emerald said hesitantly. "I mean, we'd have to steal one... _Please_ tell me I can steal one!"

"You'd better be the one to get us one," Cinder agreed, smiling at the girl. "You're the best one for the job."

"I'll have it to you by the end of the day," Emerald assured, her eyes shining. "It'll be a... _piece of cake._ "

Silence.

Emerald looked from teammate to teammate. "I said-"

"We know what you said - it just wasn't very funny..." Blake murmured, a small smile on her face.

"Cinder thinks it was funny!" Emerald retorted. She turned on Cinder, beseeching. "Don't you?!"

" _Yes, Emerald, I do!_ " Cinder answered, trying not to roll her eyes. "Of course I do."

Emerald looked relieved - and very pleased.

 _It was terrible,_ Cinder thought privately. But she liked the girl too much to say it. Too much to hurt her like that, even if it would probably only last a few minutes before she got over it...

Wait, no, it was Emerald she was talking about: she'd probably spiral into a deep depression that would last all of next semester! Cinder couldn't allow _that_ to happen, either, though - and certainly not by her own actions.

"So, how soon are we planning to do this?" Pyrrha asked.

"Tomorrow," Cinder said, certain. "Lunch tomorrow. It's settled!"

"It is?" Blake said under her breath. "Who decided that?"

"Me!" Cinder snapped. "I might not have ears like an adorable cat, but I can still hear things!"

Blake's cheeks turned pink. "And now I can't be annoyed with you anymore..."

"Exactly as planned!" Cinder smirked.

Pyrrha laughed, while Emerald giggled.

"Operation Blow The Schnee To Pieces starts tomorrow!" Cinder declared. "Meeting _over_."

"Blow the Schnee to pieces..." Pyrrha repeated. "Isn't that far too violent of a name for what you're planning? You _did say_ it was only a few grains of Dust?"

"F-fine: Operation Blow Up A Cake In The Schnee's Face - And Nothing More."

"Why not just: operation Blow Up A Cake?" Blake suggested. "That way, we won't just give away our plans to them by saying the name."

"Simple but secretive," Cinder said. "It will keep them all guessing; you're good at this, Blake."

"Oh, no, I wouldn't say that!" Blake said swiftly. "I really don't have any experience with planning o-operations...this is all totally new to me! First time."

"Then it's natural talent," Pyrrha said, amused.

"C-could be..." Blake muttered, glancing away.

* * *

"Do you have it?"

"Yep!" Emerald's entire being flickered, and a metal tray with their cake was in her hands. "The operation-"

"Emerald!" Cinder interrupted, biting. " _I'm_ the one in charge of this. All of this!"

"Oh, right, sorry - didn't mean to steal your moment..."

"I forgive you. Now: _ahem._ " Cinder cleared her throat. "Operation: Blow Up A Cake starts _now_."

"Do you want to go over the plan again?" said Blake.

"No; we'll miss our window," Cinder rebuked. "Pyrrha - are you ready?"

Pyrrha smiled and waved. "Ready with Semblance on standby."

"Okay." Cinder nodded. "Let's do this."

Cinder strode into the cafeteria with the tray of cake in her hands. She scanned the tables, and found her target; she marched right up to Team RWYJ. Her features were carefully rearranged into something like contriteness - she'd had plenty of practice at _that_ before in her life, fortunately enough.

"Oh, goody, what do _you_ want now?" Weiss said instantly, huffing.

"Oooh, what's with the cake?" Ruby burst out, staring with wide eyes. "Is it somebody's birthday?! Do you want us to throw them a party?"

"It's no one's birthday," Cinder said flatly. She drew a breath, looking to Weiss. "This is for you. I'm- sorry for saying all of those horrible things about your family. You were right; I just couldn't see it. But I've thought about it now, and...I'm sorry. I wanted to make it up to you, so I went out and bought this."

Weiss appraised her with sharp eyes. Then, she nodded. "I just knew you'd see sense! Well, put it here - my team and I will enjoy it very much."

"You beat us up, then give us cake?" Yang laughed. She grabbed the tray from Cinder and set it down in the middle of the table. "You're a weird girl, you know that? But I guess you're not all that bad..."

"Yeah, totally," Jaune said quickly. "I can let bygones be bygones! I mean, that flaming sword was pretty cool...heheh?"

"Yes, well...I need to get back to my team. Enjoy." Cinder about faced and strode away. She allowed a small smile as she met Pyrrha's gaze, who was peeking around the corner from out in the hall. Pyrrha gave a nod - Cinder nodded back. She flexed her fingers at her side, triggering her Semblance.

There was a loud boom behind Cinder, and then many voices crying out in shock and anger alike.

Out in the hall again, Cinder ducked behind the wall. Then she quickly peeked back out from it to see the fruits of her labor.

Team RWYJ was covered in the essence of cake - but none more than Weiss Schnee, whose face looked as if she had plastered a whole tub of makeup on it.

"Yes! I got her, I got her!" Cinder exclaimed joyously. "That was _so fun_ ; I'm doing it again soon! I'll be the prank queen of this entire school!" She erupted into intense, cackling laughter. Her eyes strayed to Pyrrha. "And you got her!" she added, rushing over to Pyrrha and grabbing her arms. "You did your part perfectly!"

Pyrrha flushed with pleasure, giving a shy smile. "Thank you - but it was really nothing too difficult..."

"Uh, guys...I think we should run now," Blake said quickly, gesturing into the cafeteria. "They _really_ don't look too happy with us...and that Yang girl is coming our way."

"I've got this," Emerald said, leaning around the corner and narrowing her eyes intently. "Alright, let's hurry up and go! Holy _shit_ is she going to be _pissed at me_! Go, go, go!"

The team wasted no time in taking the opportunity to run away down the hall.

After rounding a corner, Cinder looked at Emerald, who was leaning against the wall and holding her head. "Why is Yang going to be so upset with us? Exactly _how_ did you distract her?"

Emerald let out a woosh of air, holding up a hand. Then, she straightened. Plastered on her face was a huge grin. "Oh, it was nothing too crazy...just a very convincing hallucination of Weiss intercepting her so she could spill her guts out to her about how hot she thought Yang was, and how she's been wanting to jump her bones from day one."

"Jump her bones?" Cinder repeated.

"It means she wanted to have hot, horny sex with her," Emerald said cheerfully.

Cinder stared, cheeks hot. _That_ , she'd learned plenty about in biology books (and some borrowed books of Blake's that she'd been reluctant to part with). "Wow...Emerald, I underestimated you - I underestimated you _severely!_ "

" _Prank queen!_ " Emerald said smugly. "Who's got the power? I've got the power! And don't you forget it!"

* * *

"And then once all the little cows reached the barn, they saw it was too late! It was already _burning_! The fire was spreading, and they were _trapped_! Helpless! Scared out of their cow minds! And then...and then..."

With a wide grin on her face, Pyrrha raised her hand high and splayed her fingers; the metal cow figurines floated up off the table into the air, and smacked against the underside of a floating metal tray. "And then the poor cows were abducted by _aliens_! Kind, wonderful aliens who only sought to save their cute little lives from the raging inferno unleashed on them by the wrathful goddess of fire!"

Cinder stared at her, pressing her lips together. She sighed and slapped her hand to her face. She shook her head and glanced around the dorm room a moment. "Pyrrha..."

"Yes?"

"I was telling _a tragedy_ here!" Cinder growled. She paused. "And how does it even make sense for aliens to show up out of nowhere and save the cows?"

"Maybe it's one of those stories with a twist ending...?" Pyrrha said hopefully, flushed.

Cinder drew a very long breath - let it go again. "No. Now you ruined the way my story was going to go," she muttered dejectedly.

"Sorry..." Pyrrha said meekly. "Um, how exactly was it going to go, Cinder?"

"All the cows were going to burn alive, the forest was going to burn down, and the animals left alive were going to eat the farmers who survived long enough to see a wasteland, hungry for food they couldn't find anymore," Cinder said flatly.

Pyrrha winced. "Isn't that a bit...a bit..."

"Completely sociopathic?" Blake remarked from her bed.

"I think it's great!" Emerald chimed in. "Yeah, screw the cows - what did the cows ever do for the farmers? They couldn't even give them any more milk because of that disease you said they caught..."

"Exactly!" Cinder exclaimed. "Thank you, Emerald! The cows were worthless, the farmers weren't going to live long anyways - so it all was going to come crashing down! Just...faster because of the fire."

"Well...I suppose it _is_ just a story..." Pyrrha said slowly. "But that still seems far too cruel of an end for them. Could we at least save a few of them?"

Cinder looked from the hovering cows to Pyrrha's face. She sighed heavily. "Okay, we can save _one_. But, just so you know, that one will probably starve to death like all the other animals - or join in on eating the farmers."

"Or - ooooor..." Pyrrha flexed her other hand, and one of Cinder's swords came shooting over to hover above the table. "A Vale airship equipped with forest-fighting capabilities comes flying in, responding to a distress call, and they're able to begin pouring gallons upon gallons of water onto the forest to save it! Which also saves plenty of animals!"

"They can save a small _part_ of the forest," Cinder allowed, hunching over and propping her elbow - setting her chin in her hand. "And seventy percent of all firefighting personnel who try to go down into the forest on foot are going to suffer serious burns, and death."

Pyrrha gave a very solemn nod, wringing her hands and letting everything she was holding up drop onto the table with a clatter. "Poor things..."

"And then the airship lost power due to a lightning storm, and it crashed down onto the farm along with the alien ship - good idea!" Cinder enthused. "And I _guess_ your cow could be brought on board by the survivors of the crash," she added reluctantly.

Pyrrha brightened. "At least there's hope, then!"

* * *

When Cinder went into Vale alone on the first day of her two week break after first semester's end, she never expected half the things to happen to her that ended up happening.

All she had wanted was to use Pyrrha's card of lien to buy some new clothes. What she got...was a whole lot more.

Cinder had entered her favorite clothing store, and immediately after doing so, she smacked into someone's backside. " _Oof!_ " She bounced back, stumbling; the person she had run into fell forward with windmill arms and a high noise of surprise.

It was a girl her own age, Cinder realized after recovering her bearings - and her balance. A girl with short, curly orange hair, wearing a plain grey dress with black tights. The girl caught herself before faceplanting, and then pushed herself right back up with one simple, easy motion. She turned around to face Cinder, giving Cinder a good view of her face.

Light skin, bright green eyes, and freckles.

The girl didn't seem at all upset about being run into like that. In fact...she looked downright _ecstatic_ about it! Her big green eyes swept Cinder up and down, very _intensely_ , and there was a smile on her face.

"Salutations! My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!" the girl exclaimed.

"Penny - sorry for knocking you over," Cinder replied. She eyed the girl up in return; she smiled. This girl was cute - a little too excitable, though. She couldn't stand those Ruby Rose types for too long; she liked her peace and quiet. Fortunately, her whole team was much the same way. Emerald might follow on her heels at all times, but at least she knew to stay quiet while she did it. "My name is Cinder - I'm a huntress, training at Beacon," she introduced with pride.

"You attend Beacon Academy?! Oh, you must tell me all about it!"

"Hm...must I?" Cinder smirked. "Well, if you're really that eager to know...I could share a few stories." Penny looked at her with her fullest attention. She looked almost star-struck, really. Cinder liked that. "But, I was going to try on some new clothes to buy," she went on, gesturing at the aisles and racks aplenty.

Penny stared with an open mouth. Then she beamed. "Sensational! Would you mind if I joined you in this? I've been very curious about the kinds of things people wear in Vale!"

Cinder drew in the biggest breath she could hold, and let it go through her nostrils. She stood in complete silence for a full ten seconds. "Okay. You can join me." _I'm going to regret this immediately - why am I an idiot?_

Penny asked a multitude of questions about fashion (at least she was on topic), which Cinder was happy to answer for her while she browsed the shop. Cinder disappeared into the dressing room for several lengthy minutes at a time before reemerging, and it had nothing to do with the difficulties of some of the outfits she'd picked out (zippers and buttons were frustrating). But Cinder _did_ enjoy Penny calling all of her outfits wonderful, beautiful, and other adjectives without fail - it was almost like having Emerald around. Except Emerald was far more composed.

Well, Cinder had to work with what she had to work with.

After leaving the shop together, they walked along through the city, holding more conversation. In which "conversation" meant that Penny asked a dozen questions a minute, and Cinder tried to answer them all. Eventually, they ended up near the docks.

Cinder leaned over some railing, gazing out at the ocean waters during a lull in conversation she was grateful for (a lull she had created, by telling Penny to hold off on more questions for _at least_ a solid minute).

Penny stared at her, then she leaned forward and gripped the railing in imitation of her, her mouth stretched into a big smile. "It sure is beautiful today, isn't it?"

"It is," Cinder grunted her admittance. Looking at the waters, and with the thought of two weeks of freedom ahead of her now...she wondered about asking her team to teach her how to swim. At the very least, it would be a nice excuse to get Pyrrha to let her buy her first ever bikini! And she was sure her friends would have fun - that _she_ , Cinder, would have fun out here with them. Seeing the ocean from an airship's high view wasn't the same as this, and it definitely wasn't the same as actually getting in there and swimming around like fish did.

Penny turned her head, looking at Cinder thoughtfully. "Do you-"

A swirling rush of blue particles blew past Penny, and a dark shape materialized directly behind the girl.

Cinder whirled, thrusting out her arm with a yell, activating the Fire Dust in her dress and sending a blast of fire right past Penny's shoulder.

The woman moved again, her body shrouded in swirling blue particles, which left a beautiful trail behind her.

In a heartbeat's span, the woman stood behind _Cinder_ , her heavy presence sensed with Aura, and that long sword was swinging for Cinder with a high whistling noise.

Cinder whirled, bringing her blade up to block - she barely managed it. But she _did_ manage it!

Shrouded blue energy rolled off the woman's body again, and the woman was slashing for Cinder's other side, landing a blow this time and sparking her Aura. A slice up her backside followed, a downstroke, and then three diagonal slashes. All before Cinder could even think on how to retaliate.

A boot collided with her back, and Cinder was sent flipping over the railing and falling down to the docks proper.

A comet of blue energy came hurtling down to the ground; heavy boots slammed down to Cinder's right.

Cinder made to push herself up, but no sooner had she than there was a strong, long-fingered hand on the back of her head, shoving her into the ground. That long blade was held under her throat, the sharp edge touching. Sparking at her Aura.

"How long will you spend chasing your illusion of freedom, Cinder?"

Cinder froze. "How- how do you know my name?"

"I know _everything_ about you...and so does _she_. And she is allowing me to give you an invitation-"

An array of grey and green blades came spinning through the air like a buzz saw, straight for the woman.

The hand was gone, the sword withdrew in an instant, and the woman was leaping high over those spinning swords with a graceful twist.

It was Penny, Cinder saw; Penny was standing nearby, her arms held aloft, moving about like she was conducting an orchestra - manipulating all those weapons somehow.

A dozen blades flew up at the woman in a volley; she deflected and blocked, shrouded in blue, being pummeled higher and higher into the air.

Two blades hovering near the ground transformed, and energy began to crackle from their tips. Powerful, concentrated beams of green energy began flashing through the air, aimed up at the woman.

The woman blocked the energy blasts on her sword and backflipped in mid air, sailing until she came back down again. Blue energy surged, and she raced right at Penny in a flurry of racing boots. Her long blade clashed with Penny's multitude of swirling blades, her body twisting and ducking and weaving expertly! And then her long blade struck home at Penny from a distance, several times across her front, and then a swift slash across her face that sent Penny rolling across the docks.

Penny lay on her side, hair fallen over her face, her back to Cinder.

The scarlet-haired woman twitched her sword at her side, her gaze traveling to Cinder. Then she turned, and walked away. No Semblance this time; she just _walked away_ , like nothing. Like nothing had happened. Like she hadn't just attacked two girls. Like she hadn't just...

"Penny!" Cinder scrambled to her feet, racing over to the girl. Anxiety, regret, remorse, it all was rising in her; Penny had met her, Penny had come along with her, she'd said the girl could come along, _Penny had been hurt and she'd been useless and it was her fault!_ She dropped down beside Penny and reached for her, turning her over.

Penny's hair fell away, and her eye widened as she stared up at Cinder. Fear, panic, horror. Her hand came up fast, covering her face as she sat up. "I- I h-have to go, I w-was very- _injured_ by that-"

But Cinder had already seen it, seen the state of her face. And it was... "Penny, you're- cybernetic?" Cinder sought out for the right word to grasp. "Were you in some kind of accident?"

Penny froze. "Y-yes! That is exactly what I-" She gave a sudden, violent hiccup. "-what happened. I was in an...accid-" Another hiccup. "-an accident, and my f-father...gave me cybernetic p-parts." _Hiccup!_ "It's very- I'm very self-conscious of it. Please don't tell anyone what you saw." Her hiccupping fit seemed to be over.

"I won't," Cinder promised firmly. "Trust me, I know how to keep important secrets people are self-conscious about. I'm already keeping a few for my friends...and my own."

"If you are keeping one for me as well, does that make _us_ friends?"

"S-sure," Cinder muttered out. She hesitated, then she spun the girl around, pulled her hand away from her face, and pushed her hair clear to get a look at _all of it_. Penny blinked with her right eye, still a human eye. The left was a lens, surrounded by metal. Exposed. Some kind of synthetic skin covering had been shredded off when the enemy had struck at Penny.

Penny looked nervous, and scared, shying away from Cinder still.

"You look-" Cinder tried to find another word. "-awesome," she finished awkwardly, settling.

Penny beamed at her, and then she was flinging herself at her, arms strangling her by the neck!

"Hey!" Cinder shoved Penny away, falling back with a hand on her sword.

"I'm very sorry if I hurt you!"

"You didn't _hurt me_ , you just- surprised me," Cinder replied, shaking her head and letting a breath go. "Don't do that again. Ever. If you want to hug me, ask first," she allowed.

"Of course - yes, I did not mean to-!"

"Don't worry about it," Cinder snapped out, brushing herself off and standing. She turned away, crossing her arms. "You need to...fix all of that. Where do we go to do that? Can the hospital do that for you? Does it even hurt at all? You don't seem that bothered by it." She was relieved that Penny didn't seem bothered by her wounds.

"Oh no, no! I need to return to General Ironwood to report this attack, and submit myself for repairs. You should return to Beacon Academy, friend; you'll be safe there!"

"Right...good. Maybe I'll see you around." Cinder smiled.

"Oh you most certainly will!" Penny exclaimed joyfully. "You are fighting in the Vytal Tournament at the end of the year, aren't you? I'm here to do the very same thing!"

"Huh. Then we might even end up fighting each other," Cinder mused. "With what you seem to be capable of, I think I'd really like the chance to try that."

"That is wonderful! I hope so as well; I have heard many people talk of how skilled you are in combat!"

Cinder grinned. "People do like to talk about me." She paused. "Well, see you, Penny. It was nice meeting you. You're cute and fun."

"Goodbye, Cinder, my new friend! And I think you're _beautiful_ as well!" Penny beamed at her, threw a salute. She hesitated, then glanced around at all her blades scattered on the ground. She narrowed her eyes, and then they all lifted up and flew into her backpack, neat and ordered. Penny let out a noise of relief, cast a last look at Cinder, and promptly dashed off.

Cinder fell to the ground, landing flat on her butt. _Wow, she's exhausting..._

So why was Cinder excited to see her again - even beyond just the idea of having a match with her later in the year?


	12. Second Semester Interval

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one's short! But it's Christmas so I couldn't get out some huge long chapter!

Ozpin sat in his high tower office, sipping from a hot mug of coffee.

"Ozpin, is there something going on between yourself and Miss Aryle that you aren't telling me?" Glynda Goodwitch spoke furiously, pacing back and forth. "I've never known you to take such a personal interest in a student before - not so hands on - and certainly not a young woman! Not even with Team STRQ were you committing yourself to personal _training sessions_!"

Ozpin set his cup down, chuckling lightly. "Oh my - you'd really believe something like that of me?"

"I'm not sure what to think about you lately - or about _her_ ," Glynda replied, coming to a stop and crossing her arms. "Twice now, Miss Aryle has been targeted by Kari, and - according to what Miss Aryle told you about this second attack two weeks ago, herself - she's also been offered an _invitation_ by the most ancient, most fearsome enemy of mankind, unimaginable to the common people of Remnant! An invitation for what? To join her?"

Ozpin sighed, giving a grave nod. "I believe so, yes. This is precisely how Salem operates: she finds those in need, those desperate, those _vulnerable_ , those young and wounded and abused, and comes to them in most vulnerable moments to offer them everything they need, or crave. Whether it is power, greed, affection, love, a path to revenge...She will use anything to gain their fealty. And Cinder Aryle...is by far the most perfect candidate she could ever hope for - with the added bonus of seven years of combat training already mastered by her. Even with all the progress that Miss Aryle has made these past months...with her team, with us, and with herself...there is great danger in her regressing - and greater danger still, of Salem bringing her into her service. And I'm sorry to say that it would be almost too easy to convince Miss Aryle to join her."

"Do you think the girl would really accept?"

"I do. There are any number of reasons or arguments Salem could use to attack her with. Ones she would easily submit to. Ones she might allow herself to be swayed by, for her own selfish ends. Whether to keep her friends safe, whether to enable her to gain more power and freedom in her life than perceived available to her currently, or...whether to allow her to freely take vengeance upon her abusers. The family, and the government that perpetuated and permitted it all under legal law."

Glynda looked, for a moment, pitying of the girl that was the subject of the discussion. "But do you really believe she would just go off and _kill_...?"

"I believe she would already have, long ago, if not for the intervention of the huntsman in her life." Ozpin sighed. "And I believe, too, that if Salem were to offer her the power and the opportunity to finally return and get revenge on them, that Cinder would leave Beacon behind without much hesitation. And then, she would likely become lost to us entirely. You ask me what is going on between her and myself? You ask me why I've taken such an usually personal interest in her? It is because I _refuse_ to lose her to Salem, the way I lost Kari before. I refuse to watch another promising young huntress fall victim to her own past and troubles, stolen and twisted by Salem. I want to see her rise above it all, and realize the potential she has in this world to the fullest! There is still a great deal of hope for Cinder, and I will not give up on her. I will not give her over to Salem."

"Speaking of Kari..." Glynda spoke, sharp and sad alike. "Besides attempting to seduce a young, troubled huntress, what else do you think she might be doing in Vale? Have you gleaned any new insight into her possible plans?"

"Well, if Salem has ordered her to begin depleting our huntsmen forces around the city - something that coincides with Kari's own desires for vengeance on us all - I believe something larger is being planned, yes. But just what it is, I couldn't say. For now, I'm afraid all we can do is watch...and wait. And in the meantime...we must _all_ do our best to make sure Cinder is not compelled to leave us for Salem. Or, at very least, that if she does, it is for the best, most understandable of reasons: fear, coercion, the protection of her friends. I would rather see her be drawn into Salem's services for those reasons, as opposed to the darker impulses inside her. If I must lose her at all."

Glynda strode over to the window, gazing out at the Atlas airships making port. "Having James and his heavily armed Atlesian forces here now is not going to make Cinder's life very stress free, is it?" she said quietly. "With what you've told me about her time in Atlas, and if you really think she's capable of the worst acts...then might she even go off and try to- there are going to be numerous _armed soldiers_ around Beacon! I wouldn't be surprised if a girl as fearful and self-centered as that gets the wrong idea and thinks we did it all for _her_."

"It will be a challenge for her, yes, but I'm certain she can overcome it." Ozpin said firmly. "I have faith in her, Glynda. I believe Cinder's ambitions to become a huntress are _currently_ stronger than any desires for vengeance - or any amount of fear of Atlas. Salem might be able to change that, with personal intervention, but I don't believe she sees it as necessary to personally recruit Cinder yet. Left where and how she is now, Cinder wouldn't wish to throw away her place here, not even for revenge - else she would have gone after the Schnee girl in a much more violent way than an exploding cake," he added, with a smile. "No, Cinder Aryle is a very smart, clever young woman, when she puts her mind to it. And she's made much progress in the area of self control and introspection. She's _learned_ so much."

"I would say that it's her teammates who are doing the bulk of the job of holding her in check," Glynda remarked.

"Her team has been very good for her, it's true. They're the kind of support and healthy companionship she needs, after a lifetime deprived of positive relations with children her own age. But the most important changes of all can only ever come from within."

"So it is just you trying to keep the girl from going down the wrong path in life?" Glynda asked.

"I assure you, I've absolutely no interest in taking advantage of one of my own students."

"I wasn't referring to that," Glynda said delicately. "I had almost thought that maybe you'd seen in her the possibility of becoming the next Fall Maiden...but that would be ridiculous of you."

"Quite ridiculous," Ozpin agreed. "No, I don't see Miss Aryle as being capable of becoming the next Fall. Not yet, that is. In a few years, if she's still with us, then perhaps...but for all her skills with a blade, all her determination to be a huntress, what she isn't is _ready_. For that level of responsibility, for that kind of power. Her soul is as turbulent as the ocean's waves, and she still has a long way to go to find any kind of true inner peace. Not to mention, for all her progress, she has yet to internalize any _real_ sense of altruism, compassion or empathy; her choice to become a huntress was selfish - understandably so, for a child in her position! But it still was done to escape an abusive family, as opposed to out of any real desire to protect the kingdoms and save innocent lives. It was, most simply, that: _an escape_. The views she has and the ideals she holds in no way truly include what a huntress is meant to stand for. All she has is fear. Fear of returning to Atlas, fear of failure...and fear of losing all the pleasures and joys she's found out in this great big world she has only just emerged out into. Becoming a huntress is a means to an end - the end being freedom, pleasure, and a sense of direction, purpose, and control over her life. A way to nurse her damaged self esteem, which has spent a lifetime being battered at and reduced to nothing; the girl herself has been told she's nothing, all her life. She seeks to prove that statement false, by becoming something worthwhile. But the thing itself...it means nothing to her. Perhaps, in time, she will realize...but for right now, she's a long way off from that."

"Then who do you believe _is_ ready?" Glynda inquired.

"Out of anyone in my school, I believe Pyrrha Nikos is the closest to being so."

"You're prepared to bring her in on all of this, then? She'll be told everything - about Salem?"

"I believe she's ready for that, as well," Ozpin nodded. "And it might even be necessary to tell her team, soon after."

"Do you think that their _team_ is close to being ready as a whole? I don't want to see a redo of Team STRQ - or KIWI."

"Believe me, neither do I. They'll be going on their first missions soon; we'll see how they perform, and make a judgement after the Vytal Festival at the end of the year."

"I suppose that will have to do," Glynda said, turning away from the window. "Salem won't wait for us - and neither will Kari."

* * *

In a warehouse in the industrial district of Vale, gunfire and explosions rocked the building. Lights flashed from the high windows.

Blue energy particles and a dark shape rushed up and down the aisles, weaving between bodies and causing blood to spurt and splatter as it passed people.

In a matter of seconds, it all fell silent - and _bodies_ fell.

Kari Silvers flicked her twelve foot long sword - the Persuasion, she had named it long ago - and the man presently skewered on its end was sent flying into a wall.

She advanced on him, her face a stony mask.

"H-hey, listen, I don't know what you're looking for, but it's not-" he began.

She thrust her blade forth from a distance, piercing his shoulder and pinning him to the wall. He screamed. "Where are they?" Kari asked simply.

"Agh- I really don't-"

"Woah, woah, woah - take it easy there, lady! That's my best man you've made into a kebab there!" came a new voice. A figure strolled out of the dark with his hands raised - one was holding a cane. A long coat fluttered, and his bowler hat was askew. A petite young woman with two-toned hair and different color eyes stood beside him, an umbrella gripped before herself. The man with the cane flourished a hand, pointing to the woman beside him. "Of course, this is my best _woman_ , so you're sort of losing a bit of impact with who you targeted..."

"Is that so?" Kari turned her head, and she smiled slightly. She pulled her blade free and gave it an absent swipe, decapitating the injured man, and turned to face the new arrivals. "My mistake." She took a step forward, setting her gaze on the small woman with the pink umbrella.

"Ah, no, no - hey, let's not...lose our heads now!" the man said swiftly, putting himself between the two women and pointing his cane at Kari. "Why don't we...talk this whole thing out. I'm sure this is all just some big misunderstanding-"

"There's no misunderstanding. Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan - I came here for the two of you."

"Well," Torchwick began delicately, gazing around himself. He swept an arm at the area, littered with corpses. "I'm deeply flattered, sweetheart, but you really didn't have to go and do all this...just to get my attention. A knock at the door and a polite request would have made a way better first impression."

Kari gazed at him, unblinking.

"Ehehe..." Torchwick chuckled nervously, bringing his cane to rest in front of him, both hands clutching the handle. "You're going to kill us, aren't you?" He sighed. "Okay, who sent you? I've pissed off quite a lot of people recently, but I can't recall doing so to anybody with a lady on call with your level of...effectiveness. I'm a smart enough guy to know how to stay on my own level, but apparently I strayed a bit too far out." He shrugged. "But you know, if I have to die tonight, I suppose dying on the end of the blade of a woman like you is as good a way to go as I could hope for...truly impressive, all of this now. What was that - according to my watch here - ten seconds? And you had this whole place cleared out!"

"You're right: I'm operating on a level far above yours," Kari stated casually. "But I have a need for someone on your level while I'm operating here in Vale."

"I see, I see - so you want to request my services, eh? Well, let me tell yah, after what you just did here, it's going to have to be one hell of a persuasive argument to get me to agree to help you out with whatever it is you're-"

Kari flashed her sword up, the tip resting beneath Torchwick's chin from a distance of a dozen feet. "How's this?"

Torchwick gazed down the blade's length, wide eyed. "You know, that is one hell of a reach you've got with this thing! But could I ask, how do you manage it when you want to sit down anywhere? I mean, what do you do with it? Do yah just- _son of a bitch!_ "

Kari flexed her wrist, and the tip sliced sharply across Torchwick's jaw. "I'm here for your talents as a crime boss, not as a comedian; I don't need to listen to you blather on."

Torchwick nodded frantically, slapping a hand to his bleeding face. "Excellent point, my darling - my bad. All my bad. So, listen, do you have a name?"

"It's Kari."

"Great name! Simple, easy to remember. Now then, would you mind explaining to me just what you need me for?"

Kari lowered Persuasion, and strode forward with purposeful strides. She reached Torchwick and shoved him aside, staring down at the small woman with the umbrella. "What I want...is for you two to do everything I tell you to - and you might be allowed to live after I'm done with you," she said, slow and clear.

"Soooo, this isn't a, 'I'm getting payed for my work' kind of arrangement, huh?" Torchwick said slowly.

"No."

"Damn. And we're still not at the part where you actually say what it is we're going to be doing..."

"Bring whatever men you have left to me, and I'll explain it to everyone at the same time," Kari said flatly. "I hate repeating myself."

"Gotcha. Just let me make some calls!"


	13. Ahead And Behind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE IS A BIG POST CHRISTMAS CHAPTER!!! <3 :) :) I'M SO EXCITED TO CONTINUE THE STORY WITH SECOND SEMESTER! :)

On the last day of Team NEBA's two week break, Cinder walked onto the boardwalk in her two piece bikini with her head held high.

Pyrrha wore a simple shirt and swim shorts; Emerald, a full one piece swimsuit; Blake was the only one to have on a two piece like Cinder's.

Cinder paused, catching eyes on her. She turned, placing hand on hip and pulling a smirk. "Yes?"

Those eyes roamed her, then settled on her middle. They traveled from the scarring between her breasts, to the great scar lower down, on her belly. "How did you get those?" a man spoke, eyebrows furrowed. "You were attacked?"

Cinder raised her chin. "I _survived_ being attacked." She about-faced and stalked for the end of the boardwalk, pulling the band from her hair and letting it all down. Loose, for once. She stroked it all, pulling it down one side of her head.

She lowered herself and sat down on boardwalk's edge, her legs sliding into the waters.

"Did you _have to_ put Dust in your bikini?" Blake said from the water, gazing up at Cinder, treading like it was easy.

Cinder raised an absent hand, palm up, and pulsed her Aura to create shimmering flames. She clenched her fist and extinguished them, smiling to herself. "If you've been paying any attention at all in grimm identification classes, you'd know that there are all kinds of aquatic grimm - some of which like to come to harbors and beaches to find victims."

"So, you're being paranoid - got it."

"I'm being prepared," Cinder corrected. "But, if _you_ want to be helpless when a grimm shark comes to bite you in two, then be my guest. I'll be telling you 'I told you so' after I save your life - with some _very_ high amounts of satisfaction."

"I'm with Cinder on this one," Emerald chimed in, emerging from the waters after doing a full flip. "It's never stupid to be ready for a fight. If someone or something wants to attack us, we should be able to fight back! Or at least, be ready and able to make a run for it..."

"I think it doesn't hurt to have a little caution," Pyrrha spoke, sitting down beside Cinder, touching bare arms with her - and bare legs. "I'm sure we'll all be thanking you for it later, if anything _does_ happen," she went on, flashing a smile.

"Sure," Blake said, rolling her eyes.

"Y-you know, Cinder..." Pyrrha began.

"What?" Cinder said.

Pyrrha smiled at her, looking her over swiftly, her cheeks pink. "You look amazing in t-that. Of course, you look amazing in anything you wear!"

"Thanks," Cinder said, flashing a bright smile in return. She kicked her feet, splashing up water. "So, can we start this - please?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Of course. Now, the most important thing about swimming is not to panic - at any point. Otherwise, you might not only endanger yourself, but any one of us as well. I need you to trust that I'm going to have you - that you're going to be perfectly all right, no matter what. Okay?"

"Okay," Cinder said seriously. She drew a breath and stretched her arms, like preparing for combat instruction. "I trust _you_ , don't worry about that. I- I know you won't let me get hurt," she offered awkwardly, turning her head away. Old anxiety bloomed in her stomach: Was that the right thing to say? Was that something people said at all? Would Pyrrha even like it?

Pyrrha touched her arm, so soft, so warm. A tingling sensation shot through Cinder's body. "That's incredibly sweet of you. Thank you; I'm so glad to hear that!"

 _Oh, thank god._ "Y-yes, well, I...y-you're...sweet too?"

"Oh, thank you, Cinder!" Pyrrha laughed, gave her arm a stroke, and then she was jumping into the water. "Just remember to hold your breath when you go under, and remember to keep kicking your feet and moving your arms - like this. And _don't panic_. Just steady, easy motions."

"I think I've got it," Cinder replied, staring down at her legs as she practiced the motions a bit more. She nodded to herself and sucked in a breath. _Pyrrha's right here; she won't let me drown! But - get eaten by a sea grimm? Not so much..._

Cinder pushed off from the boardwalk, and slid down into the ocean, plunging below the water line in the process.

_It's just water; what can water even do to hurt you?_

Apparently, a lot, if Blake's more tragic romantic books were anything to go by...

 _Focus! Calm! Be in control of your body, move it how it's meant to be moved! Get this right, get it_ perfect _! Don't look like an idiot in front of your friends..._

Cinder moved her limbs furiously, and she _did_ rise and break the surface, sound and sight returning with clarity. She let her breath go at last, and turned her head to find Emerald and Blake right near her. But where was- "Pyrrha?"

"I'm right here." Her voice came from behind Cinder, calm and reassuring. "You're doing good - very good. But you're going at it a bit too hard. You'll probably-"

Cinder took in a hasty breath as she dropped under again. She kicked harder, and she broke the waters again. "Probably _what_?" She sputtered.

"Probably...that," Pyrrha's voice came again - again, from behind Cinder. "Here - let me help."

"Okay, h-help - starting to panic!" Cinder admitted, stammering. Suddenly, Cinder felt a pressing softness to her backside, and firm, slender hands gripping her hips.

"Don't panic, you're fine - I have you." Pyrrha's voice, right in her ear now. "Try to kick less frequently. Be more consistent, not faster at it. Oh, and try using your arms more! That helps."

_I thought I was doing good, dammit._

"Can't I just use you to-"

"No, no! Cinder, if you want something to hold onto, you can use the boardwalk! But not _me_. You could drag us both down. Do you feel like you need to? I can get you over there."

"I _want_ to turn around so I can see you," Cinder retorted. "I like seeing you! How do I turn?"

"Alright; I'll show you - just let me get you over here..." Pyrrha was leaning backwards, kicking expertly, and dragging Cinder with her. They drifted under the boardwalk, and Pyrrha grabbed Cinder's stray arm and put her hand on one of the support struts. "Hold onto this and try to relax - just watch me."

Cinder did her best to listen - and to watch as Pyrrha showed her, rotating around with ease in place.

It really was like their sparring sessions again. Once Cinder was sure she had it, she detached herself from the boardwalk and drifted out. She moved as Pyrrha had explained - and it _worked_. She turned herself around several times over, before next asking Pyrrha to show her how to actually move around. Pyrrha obliged, as ever. Soon, Cinder was moving free!

"Hah! Queen of the ocean coming through, out of my way! I can circle you people all day long!"

"Oh dear god what have you created?" Blake deadpanned, eyes narrowed at Pyrrha.

"I'm sorry...?" Pyrrha offered.

"Emerald - Emerald, look! Where am I? I'm over here - or so you think! Because I'm now..." Cinder dropped into the water like a stone, swam furiously forward, twisted around and popped up on the other side of her friend. "... _right over here!_ What happens now? How about a... _surprise attack!_ " She triggered her Aura very precisely out of her feet, and shot forward to ram into Emerald, sending her bobbing and spinning away. She laughed maniacally, flipping onto her back and raising her arms high as she swam backwards.

Emerald righted herself, and a fierce grin stole over her face. "Oh, you really - you _really_ want to do this with me? I'm the girl who can make you see anything I want out here, remember?"

Cinder slowed to a stop, letting her body go vertical again. "No Semblances allowed," she said instantly.

"Fine with me, I can still get you back!" Emerald replied, swimming right for Cinder with furious strokes. "Come here already!"

Cinder activated her Aura again, shooting off a dozen feet to the left. "Catch me - if you even can!"

"No Aura allowed, either!" Emerald whined.

"Yes, Aura! You don't make the rules!"

"Neither do you!"

"Yes, I do!" Cinder shouted with glee. "I do whatever I want!"

"Pyrrha's team leader - she should decide," Emerald said swiftly.

Both girls looked at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha looked between them, raising her hands out of the water. "Well, in the interests of fairness, I think-"

"Aura's still in," Cinder interrupted firmly.

"You didn't let her decide yet!" Emerald said, exasperated.

Cinder grinned. "She's going to choose what I want, obviously."

Emerald looked at her. Then, at Pyrrha. "Well, yeah, _obviously_ ," she snorted. "She wants that Cinder booty way too badly to say no to you on anything!"

"What?" Blake said, in a high voice.

" _What?!_ " Pyrrha exclaimed.

"What?" Cinder said blankly.

"Oh- oh come on," Emerald chortled, setting her gaze on Cinder. "You can't figure it out? How she was _just_ pressing herself all up into that? How she totally wanted to lick that ear? And did she have to grab that waist?! I don't think so! And- and what about how she just goes _nuts_ over you when you get a new dress? She looks at you like she wants to eat you up - or...out! Hah! Seriously: think about all those _filthy_ Blake books you've read so far. In all of them, what does it even mean when someone is up in someone else's space like _that_? Especially from behind?! It's _sexy_ , it's _romantic!_ "

Cinder blinked. The realization hit her like an airship: Emerald was _right_! It _was_ like all those- _Pyrrha_ was acting like those people in Blake's books!

"Can we not bring me into this?" Blake said weakly.

"You just don't want to face the fact that Cinder has more to her than you'll ever be packing!" Emerald shot back. "I don't see Pyrrha lusting after _yours_!"

"Y-you- I- _oh brother_ ; I have more than she'll ever have!" Blake burst out. "Just because Pyrrha has an interest in a _specific ass_ doesn't mean _mine_ isn't better than-"

"Please, if yours was _so much better_ , wouldn't our classmates be looking at _yours_ instead of at _mine_?" Cinder snorted. "And since that's never happened, it clearly means I've got the better one!"

" _Please,_ you didn't even _know what it meant_ to be sexually attractive until a few weeks ago!" Blake said with a laugh. "I doubt you have any good enough of a grasp on the concept to make a judgement on the quality of _your own ass_ , let alone _mine_! A-and for your information, I've noticed plenty of people taking peeks at me from behind!"

"Oh? Such as _who_?" Cinder said idly, relishing.

"That's not-"

"No, come on, who?" Emerald said eagerly. "No going back now! Let's get it all out here in the open! We're supposed to be teammates, right? Sharing things with each other? So share!"

"F-fine - Yang Xaio Long, for one!" Blake said furiously, furiously _blushing_. "And for a-another, that one second year girl with that- bushy tail! You know who I mean!"

"So, you have two admirers - well done - I still have more," Cinder said, triumphant.

"I have _consistent_ interest; you get new ones every time you change clothes!" Blake rattled off. "It doesn't mean as much!"

"I think it means more-" Emerald started.

"Oh, shut up," Blake laughed, shaking her head. "You only think that because _you're_ one of Cinder's _admirers_! I guess it makes sense how you were able to peg Pyrrha down so easily: it takes one to know one, doesn't it?" she said sweetly.

"Tch, yeah!" Emerald said proudly. "It does! And getting back around to Pyrrha, she's been going in _hard_ today on Cinder. Is it the bikini, something in the water - what's going on out here?"

"H-hold on now, team!" Pyrrha spoke, stammering. "Why are we even d-discussing people's b-butts like-"

"Teambuilding exercise," Emerald interrupted, with a wide grin. "Let it happen, you know you want to! Air out every last dirty thought you have about your fiery object of _desire_!"

"I- I-" Pyrrha sputtered, then fell silent.

Cinder stared at her. "So, you really do like my ass?"

"I- C-Cinder, it's n-not- I mean I..." Pyrrha went quiet again, very literally floundering. "Y-yes?"

"Better than Blake's?" Cinder pressed, grinning.

"Ugh, really?" Blake rolled her eyes. "Even _this_ , you _still_ have to find some way to be the one to win?"

"I don't _have to win it_ \- I've _already_ won," Cinder said smugly. "Right, Pyrrha?"

"W-well, I- um...I've n-never really- taken time to- to look at my own teammate's- I mean...I c-can't compare between..." Pyrrha looked to Blake, apologetic. "It's...really just Cinder-specific, like you said y-yourself!" she finally exclaimed, covering her face with her hands and turning away. "Oh, why did I just say that!"

Cinder threw her arms up, crying out with joy. "Yes, I win - _shit!_ " She fell beneath the water, coming up sputtering. "Pyrrha's team leader; she has final say," she informed Blake after resurfacing. "And she says I have the better one."

"Hey! You can't do that," Emerald pouted. "You just told _me_ that Pyrrha's decisions as team leader didn't even matter!"

"That was different," Cinder stated.

"Different how?" Emerald demanded.

"Because it just is," said Cinder.

"It just is?" repeated Emerald. She shook her head furiously. "Screw it, I'm pissed - hope you're ready!" Aura exploded from her, casting water high into the air like a bomb had gone off, and she jetted right for Cinder.

"Okay, you asked for it!" Cinder snarled as she recovered, her Aura flaring briefly. She twisted her body and grappled with Emerald, then she kicked her feet straight under herself, and rocketed the both of them up out of the water completely. They rose a dozen feet high before crashing back down again. Cinder kicked out at Emerald, separating from her quickly.

Off to the side, Blake and Pyrrha were watching their teammates together.

"It's fine that you like her," Blake told her, patting her on the shoulder. "We're all going to be cool with it, you know that?"

"Of c-course - yes, I- I know that!" Pyrrha said quickly, anxiety in her voice. "It's just- it might change things for the team. A-and for her, for me. For us. If she even...I'm not sure Cinder's even emotionally mature enough for this. You said it yourself: she didn't even know what it meant to be...sexually attractive - or to be in touch with her own sexuality - until a few weeks ago! And she learned it from trashy romance novels!"

Blake glowered at Pyrrha intensely.

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha said, empathetic. "I'm just so- so _flustered_ and-"

Blake sighed. "It's _fine_. Go on."

"Well - Cinder isn't emotionally mature enough for this, like I said. It's clear in the way she is, how she treats her own newfound sense of sexuality like a new toy! Like another game, another- thing to win. She doesn't understand the full scope of it, of what it all- entails. The seriousness of it for a person. So it's a rather moot point, isn't it - being 'cool with it' or not. I'd feel quite awful if she- if I-"

"Like you were taking advantage of her or something?" Blake supplied, quiet. "That's a good thing to worry about. But we can figure that all out, too. As a team. Why not just let this rest for now, let it settle down a bit, and we can feel it out going forward? Slow and simple?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Thank you, Blake. You're right, of course. We'll need to go slowly with this. A-and a confession doesn't have to mean anything...if...if she's not ready for- yes, that's exactly right. Thank you!"

"No problem." Blake smiled.

"Y-you're really not offended that I'd prefer Cinder's over y-yours?"

"Really!" Blake giggled. "Don't even worry about _that_! Cinder's _ego_ is bigger than her ass could ever be. And anyway, you know that saying about how it isn't the size of the thing. And I doubt she even knows a thing about how to use it!"

"Well, that _is_ true..." Pyrrha laughed along with her, hand covering her mouth.

* * *

Cinder approached Blake's bed after returning to the dorms, after her long day of fun at the docks. "I want to borrow these."

Blake stared at the stack of books Cinder had in her arms, stolen off her personal shelves. Her eyes quickly scanned the titles on the spines, and she blushed. "F-fine, go ahead!"

"Thanks." Cinder carried the books over to her bed and dumped them all there. She sat down there and picked up the first one, leaning back and opening it up. She scrutinized it intensely, beginning to read. She had to figure out what to do about Pyrrha - what it really _meant_ to be romantic (and to have someone else take a romantic interest in _you_ ); these books would be her guide on the subject.

Fortunately, they were all very detailed about it.

Cinder would spend long hours into the night, engrossed in it all.

* * *

_Okay, don't mess this up. I need to be sensual, I need to be sexy, I need to be alluring, and I need to be...all those other words, too._

In morning light, Cinder approached Pyrrha's bed with all the poise and sway she could muster. She crawled up onto it, and slid herself up beside a drowsy Pyrrha.

"C-Cinder, what're you...?" Pyrrha said, blinking at her and rubbing her eyes.

"What the hell are you even doing?" Blake remarked, disbelief on her face.

"Holy shit, she's going for it," Emerald whispered.

Cinder moved in closer, face to face - _caressed_ Pyrrha's face, grasped her chin - pressing chest to chest with her with arched back. "Whatever my scarlet-haired vixen wants from me... _of course_...And I _know_ now just how much she's always wanted _these_...Well, she can feel free to give them a _feel_...Don't be shy now..."

"A-ah- um...no! No, no, no, Cinder!" Pyrrha sat up fast, grabbing Cinder's arms and pushing her away. "Cinder, I- oh my- _of course you'd think_...I am _so sorry_ , I should have talked to you yesterday, I shouldn't have just left you with this!"

Cinder sat up and shrank back, frowning. "Wh-what do you- I thought you..."

" _Oh, no_ \- this is _exactly_ what we have to talk about - this is why I shouldn't have-" Pyrrha shook her head, hair flying everywhere. "All right, Cinder: please, sit here, breathe, and know that I'm not in any way upset with you, or- or mad, or anything else! Okay?"

"O-okay..." Cinder wasn't sure she could do what Pyrrha wanted, though; her voice sounded weird, and her throat was tight. She blinked rapidly, ducking her head. "I j-just..." _Where did I go wrong? How could I fail? After everything Emerald said, after what Pyrrha herself said to me yesterday! How did I mess it up?!_

"I know, I know what you- but it isn't- just sit, please. I need to...compose myself as well. Please wait a minute." Pyrrha sprang up from her bed and disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind herself.

Cinder sat twisting her hands together, holding back sniffles.

"Alright now!" Pyrrha was back, sitting herself down next to Cinder. She touched her arm, patting at her. Then, she gave her a quick hug that had Cinder flinching. "Cinder, you...we...j-just because I am a-attracted to you, doesn't mean that I...necessarily want you to...No, that isn't quite right...it could have been enjoyable if we were..." She shook her head, huffing to blow hair out of her face. She put her chin in her hand, leaning forward, propped by elbow. "Let's see..."

"Being romantic isn't just a- a mask you put on," Blake spoke up, very quiet. "You don't just flip a switch and do that kind of thing, then turn it off and walk away."

"Thank you, Blake, but could you please...?" Pyrrha said delicately. She sighed, rubbing at Cinder's arm. She tilted her head to look at her downcast face. "That's almost right, I suppose. For you, Cinder, this kind of thing isn't just- it's not like a change of clothes, like some new dress you slip on for a while, and then change back out of. You can't just...totally change how you behave like that with- with someone you- might have romantic feelings for. Or who...has them for you. It won't- it's not the way to be. It- erm- being _in love_ with someone is...daily. It's constant. It's...how you are normally, it's- the little things. It's not these big, involved...acts. And it _most definitely is not_ the kind of _acts_ you might have read about in those books! That isn't how people... _really_ behave when they're in love. It's- it's meant to be...fun, to be...exciting or...a-arousing - _but it isn't how people really are!_ It's not how you should be, Cinder!"

"Why? If it's all in there...?"

"Well...if you wanted to think of it as a battle, think of it as- spectacle, as- _style_. But it's not really... _effective_ against your- opponent," Pyrrha said haltingly. "It looks flashy, but it doesn't really w-win you the- the match. Not that romance is a game, or a match! Being in love isn't about _winning_ \- especially not winning _someone_! But, what will be...most effective...is usually just being yourself, and loving the other person for being themselves as well. Do you understand?"

"I g-guess..." Cinder whispered, shaking her head at the same time.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Pyrrha consoled, giving her another hug. She held this one longer than the last. "I know that you don't. But that's- it's okay. It's fine! We just need to do as teams do, as friends do, and just- keep talking to each other, keep helping each other out. To...get through this. You could even think of it as more...more training. More lessons to- to throw yourself into! Because these are- this is- it's _so important_ , Cinder. It's very, very important, for both people involved, to _understand_ what is going on. To understand how to behave, how we feel, how we think and what we say. And to never- to never cross a line and violate someone else's...bodily autonomy. You don't want to hurt me, do you?"

"Of course I don't!" Cinder cried.

"That's good, and I don't want to hurt you, either. And with romance, with love, with these feelings and the way your body can react, it can be...easy to hurt someone accidentally. Like- like in combat training. When you just...lose yourself to it, you- and you don't realize, or you ignore..." Pyrrha sighed. "So it's important to talk about things, to discuss boundaries and- and consent. And to respect that, no matter what else. They're like...extra special rules, specifically for- for girls like us. Who feel these things for each other. If- if someone doesn't like something, or- or they give a firm no, then you have to listen to that. _You have to._ And I _know_ that you have been through things before that I can't imagine, things that have left you with a- a different view of the importance of things like consent and boundaries...of respecting other's wishes...But this is _so, so important_ , Cinder. You need to try your best with this, if you- want to do this at all with me. Or else the consequences won't just be leaving Beacon - it could even mean being arrested, put into prison. It's very serious, and very important. Love, romance...is one of the most intimate, wonderful, and dangerous things to venture into in life. Do you understand this?"

"Yes?"

Pyrrha sighed again. "You're not sure, are you?"

"I'm not sure..." Cinder confirmed, muttering.

"Alright. And that's fine. Just- first important rule: Never do anything that you read in those books with me again. It isn't- accurate- or effective- it's not...just, no. I am telling you not to try it again, and I need you to really respect that. If you don't, I _am_ going to be quite angry with you. You aren't the same girl who first arrived at Beacon; I _know_ you can listen and control yourself now. Do not ignore me on this, no matter how much you might want to. Okay?"

"Okay!" Cinder said firmly. "I won't, I...I promise!"

Pyrrha gave a nod, a little noise of relief. "Good."

"B-but- what else do I do, then?" Cinder blurted out. "If all of _that_ is worthless crap, what do I...I mean _you_ \- you were acting all- romantic to me, weren't you? Why can't I do it, too? With the- the hands and the...how is that different from what I just did? I don't...u-understand," she finished, frustrated.

Pyrrha looked at her a long moment. She scooted away a few inches. She looked ashamed, and even maybe horrified with herself. "Right...Cinder, you're right. That- I'm sorry. That is exactly- a perfect example of what I was talking about. And it was my own mistake. I made that mistake already with you. And I'm so sorry. Of course, I- you didn't realize, and I was- I am sorry. I never should have behaved that way with you, I shouldn't have...started putting my hands on you that way when you didn't even know. It was _wrong_ _of me_. I shouldn't have done any of that toward you. I should have asked, I should have made sure you even understood, and above all, asked whether or not you were even comfortable with it."

"B-but you- did it because you love me, right? You were just being- you said- with the body and the feelings..."

"Y-yes," Pyrrha agreed, looking Cinder in the eye. "I was wrong, Cinder. I was wrong to let myself act how those feelings were...urging me to. I was wrong to ignore that you didn't know what I was doing at the time. No matter what I _felt_ , I should have been much more aware, and conscious, and I shouldn't have laid my hands on you that way before talking to you about it. I'm sorry, Cinder. I disrespected you, and I violated you."

"It's okay," Cinder said, confused. "I- you didn't hurt me. It felt...nice? It always feels nice when you touch me," she elaborated. "I like it when you do."

"If that's how you feel." Pyrrha nodded seriously. "But even so, Cinder. In that specific- situation, I shouldn't have. Not without permission, without making sure first. Romantic touching, physical affection like that...it's _different_ from just hugging, or touching an arm. It's very different. It's more intense, more serious. And I was wrong, then, with you. A-and even if you didn't want me to hug you, and you told me, I'd still listen," she added firmly. "Any kind of physical contact, whether it _hurts_ or not, is always up to the person being touched. If they want it or not. And if they don't, that's the end of discussion. It isn't so much about pain as it is about respect, Cinder. Just...listening to others."

"Well, I'm okay with it," Cinder stated. "I liked it! I really did."

"That's good! I'm very happy that you did - it's very important."

"So...so what _can I do_?" Cinder asked.

"Well..." Pyrrha gazed at her evenly, still hints of shame in her face. "What do you _want to do_? Why don't you come up with some idea, and we'll see if I want to do it as well. If we can both agree, we can do it, then - alright?"

 _Well, if everything in those books is out - trash and lies! - then I need something..._ real _she'd be okay with._ What had Cinder seen around the school, then, that was real, and had to be obviously good? She racked her mind, searching all her recent memories. She found something, finally. It was small, simple, but she thought it had to be something good and real. It had even been in some of those books! So, maybe it might not be accurate, but it wasn't all _entirely_ fake either...? A mix of truth and lies?

"I- I want to hold...your...hand? A lot?"

Pyrrha smiled. "All right, I think I would like to do that as well." She raised her hand, offering it out. Cinder took it, smiling uncertainly back at her.

They sat like this together a minute; Pyrrha guided their joined hands to rest between their bodies, and she let out a contented sigh.

"Ah - there is a very small way to show your affections like this, if you want to really be... _a bit_ more romantic," Pyrrha said suddenly. She held up their hands, and started stroking Cinder's with her thumb, sending tiny thrills up her arm! "Is this something that feels nice to you as well?"

"Yes," Cinder said immediately. She hesitated, looking from their hands to Pyrrha's face. "Could I...do the same thing to you - please?"

"You can - thank you for asking." Pyrrha nodded, flashed a smile. She lowered their hands again, and soon stopped stroking. Just letting Cinder work on her, alone. "You can stop whenever you like, Cinder."

Cinder carefully scrutinized Pyrrha's face again. "Is it- nice for you too?" she asked, not sure why she felt the need to. Why it even came out at all. There was something in her, a feeling like...almost remorse? Like when she'd hurt Pyrrha during sparring matches before. But it was different. What was it-

"It is," Pyrrha said lightly. "I'm enjoying this. Thank you."

Cinder felt a strange relief. She smiled. "Great."

"So, hey," Emerald spoke, after several minutes. "when the two new lovebirds want to leave their nest, could you let us know? Because we've got classes starting up again, annnnd breakfast ends in less than ten minutes."

Pyrrha and Cinder broke apart, jumping up at the same time.

Cinder hurried to get dressed - and to be the first one out the door!

Her first semester might have been rough, but she was _going_ to make sure her second one would go a lot smoother! All her grades, all her essays!

And, of course, all her sparring matches; she wasn't going to lose to a single person by the year's end! And that included the Vytal Festival Tournament! The greatest win of all, the win she was already dreaming of: a huge cash prize, international fame, and the personal satisfaction of her ultimate victory, of course! She would win it all, and _take it all_.

And then she'd do it _again_ in another two years, at the end of her anticipated third year here at Beacon.

_Flawless, spotless - perfect!_

* * *

Cinder's plans for perfection were derailed at lunch.

Derailed very predictably, by Team RWYJ.

They started a fight with Team RNBW (Rainbow) - a team consisting of Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, Bondi Zahn, and Wisteria Nix.

Team NEBA was caught in the middle, as the entire lunchroom fell to chaos.

Cinder was more than a little annoyed with herself that it wasn't _her_ starting the chaos and destruction.

And even more annoyed that this eruption of chaos, started by Team RWYJ, had caused Pyrrha to stop holding her hand!

Most of the student body evacuated immediately.

"We should get out of all this," Pyrrha spoke loudly, as plates flew and shattered, food was sent in all directions, and the many long tables were upended.

"Are you kidding?" Emerald exclaimed, her eyes shining as she surveyed the area (and ducked under a flying turkey). "This is awesome! I want to get _in on this!_ Look, Cinder's already got the right idea!"

"Cinder's already...?" Pyrrha sighed. "Of course she is."

"And of course, she's taken the first excuse to go after Weiss," Blake said dryly. "Who could have seen that one coming?"

Cinder raced along the top of a long table, smelting twin glass swords out of the Dust in her school uniform. She leaped high, coming down on the Schnee girl with both blades swinging! Weiss gazed up at her in horror, and rolled away quickly; Weiss snatched up a swordfish, reinforcing it with her Aura and holding it poised, her eyes narrowed.

"I really should have expected something like this out of riffraff like-" Weiss began furiously.

Cinder flashed out her palm and sent a fireball at the girl; Weiss shrieked and ducked - but her long ponytail was still singed. Cinder smirked, and lunged, twirling and slicing with everything she had.

"Are you _trying_ to kill me?!" Weiss exclaimed, backing up quickly and blocking what strikes she could.

"No," Cinder said honestly, as she kicked Weiss in the face and slashed viciously across her chest twice over.

"Somehow I don't believe you," Weiss breathed, clutching her chest as her Aura flared.

"That's your problem, not mine," Cinder said mildly. She leaped and twisted over Weiss's head, swiping at her shoulder as she did. She kicked Weiss in the back to knock her off balance, then lunged forward and slashed at her back three times before she could properly turn around to defend against Cinder.

"A little help, please!" Weiss called out to her teammates, desperate.

Ruby Rose came sliding in on a lunch tray, right down a long table. She narrowed her eyes and flipped herself forward at Cinder, aiming the bottom of the tray for her with strong legs backing it. Cinder lifted her swords and turned, catching the girl in mid-air. She pressed back and burst with her Aura, sending Ruby flying wildly away - and then smashing through a window with a high shriek.

Weiss tried to get a strike on Cinder, but Cinder did a quick side flip up onto a table to avoid it. Weiss jumped up onto the table with her and came at her again.

Cinder blocked and redirected, getting in slashes on her stomach, thigh, and one on her arm that almost made her drop her fish. Then she flew forward and kicked Weiss in the chest, sending her flying back into a small mountain of tables that Team Rainbow had set up - the high ground. Several tables collapsed onto Weiss, burying her.

"Hmph." She made eye contact with Yang, who took a flying leap at her with two turkeys for gauntlets, and simply waited for the girl with a smirk on her lips. _And here comes a new challenger - not that she'll be much of one. I've already beaten her before; I've beaten her entire team._

As Cinder fought with Yang, using the same tactics as last time, Nora Valkyrie came roaring in with a metal pole tipped with a watermelon, swinging it like a giant hammer. She smashed down onto the table, shattering it and upending the portion of it that Yang was standing on, sending Yang airborne.

Cinder growled and tried to decide whether to engage Yang or Nora. Both were heavy hitters - but Nora hit far heavier, she knew. Things were getting more hectic than ever, in this three-way team battle! She decided to deal with Yang first, thinking she didn't want to risk her Semblance coming into play. She leaped up into the air to begin slashing at the girl in mid-air; Yang threw a hard punch at her, which she dodged by wrapping her legs around the girl's arm and flipping herself up over her head. She sliced her across the back of her neck and kicked her, spiking her into the ground with an exertion of Aura powerful enough to crack the floor beneath Yang.

Nora jumped up for Cinder, twirling her watermelon hammer with a fierce grin on her face; Cinder responded with one of her own, and waited for the right moment to plant her boot on the watermelon and kick up off of it, soaring higher to reach the ceiling. Cinder flipped herself upside down and bent her knees, and then she launched herself straight back down for Nora, picking up speed.

Nora braced herself, hammer held in front of her, that grin still fixed to her face.

Cinder waited for the absolute last second, seeing the girl tighten her grip and start to shift her stance...and then she thrust out her hands and blasted fire into Nora's face; the girl, already swinging, already _in motion_ , could only take it, and fall to it. Cinder's heels collided with Nora's chest, riding her to the floor and slamming her down. She slashed her furiously across the neck, destroying her Aura, and then she leaped away in search of a new victim.

She found it in Team Rainbow's Bondi, a thickset girl with dark hair and dark eyes. Bondi had an armful of stuffed animals, five purple bears, each about a foot long. The girl was standing off in a corner by herself, watching everything with wide eyes. Cinder smirked as she sauntered up to the girl, twirling her blades leisurely. "Your turn," she drawled. "Try not to cry too hard after your face hits the floor now..."

Bondi dropped her stuffed animals and stepped backwards.

She wasn't even going to try to fight? If that was the case, she should have just run, Cinder thought. Her mistake, then; she was still here, so in Cinder's mind, she was fair game.

Cinder stepped over the stuffed animals and brought back her arm for a swing. Bondi radiated a wave of purple energy, her eyes narrowing...

And suddenly Cinder felt something heavy and strong wrapping around her leg, weighing her down and squeezing her Aura.

She glanced down, and her jaw dropped.

One of those purple _stuffed animals_ was hugging her leg! It was _alive!_ Shrouded in the same purple energy that Bondi had radiated!

Cinder shook her leg violently, stumbling backwards, staring at Bondi. Bondi offered a shy little smile, and a _shrug_. _A fucking shrug to this?!_ Cinder lifted her other leg and bashed the toy in the head repeatedly, vicious! "Get the _hell off, get the hell off of me! Get this thing off of me right now!_ "

"Cinder, are you...Holy. Shit!" Emerald arrived on the scene, and stared. She clenched her fists, shook her head, and threw herself forward. Two of the other bears turned to look at her, and they ran to intercept her. They jumped up high and collided with Emerald's chest; a shockwave of _Aura_ rippled out, and Emerald was sent flying back a dozen feet! The two bears high fived and ran back to Bondi's side (the part of Cinder that wasn't panicked as all hell wondered if there was a range limit to the Semblance).

"Grrrr!" Cinder flashed her hand down and recklessly began casting a stream of deadly flames onto her own leg, completely shrouding it in burning fires. Aura flickered amidst the fires, purple. And she kept _kicking_ , all the while, with her free leg. The remaining two bears moved on her in this time - one latched to her _other leg_ , and the other one took a running leap at her chest. Cinder wasn't going to get hit with that, not after Emerald had been; she slashed her sword and swiped at the bear, sending it flipping away into a wall. On impact, the bear flashed with a purple Aura, as the others. Then, it was back to frantic attempts to dislodge the two bears from her legs. " _Die, die, die, fucking die-_ huh?"

Cinder barely had time to look up before Bondi's powerful fist was slamming into her face, sending her rolling across the ground. She rolled over and made to sit up, and found a purple bear standing atop her. She lashed out with a blade, sweeping it aside! The second one leaped for her face and drove a _limb_ into it; Cinder's head whipped back as Aura burst from the bear's limb, and the floor under her _cracked._

 _I am_ not _losing to some toy!_

Cinder burned her entire body over with flames, using up the Fire Dust in her uniform in seconds. The explosive force cast the bear up off of her, twenty feet high! She jumped to her feet and let the flames die, shaking her head. She had hardly found her balance, when Ren was coming at her with twin weapons swinging - some kind of vegetable. Cinder twirled and danced with him, and sent him flying away with a blade thrust to the chest. Movement from corner of her eye, suddenly; she turned to find Bondi standing there, all five bears in a row at her feet.

" _No!_ " Cinder warned, raising a blade and jabbing it forward. "Don't you dare send those little monsters after me again- _no!_ "

The bears ran at her, and Cinder backpedaled furiously.

_Shit, shit, shit!_

Suddenly a vending machine came rolling across the floor, sideswiping the bears and carrying them on to crush them against a wall.

Pyrrha came striding into view, holding a long bread stick, and put herself at Cinder's side. She glanced at her, a grin on her face.

"Oh thank god!" Cinder cried with pure relief. "I love you, I love you _so much!_ "

"A-are you okay?" Pyrrha said, from out the corner of her mouth.

Cinder gestured at the destroyed vending machine. " _Those_ didn't terrify you?!"

"What? No! Why would they? I thought they were very cute," Pyrrha said, with a radiant smile. "And rather clever, the way they used teamwork!"

"Just- help me destroy this girl," Cinder said flatly, pointing her sword at Bondi.

"Alright, then." Pyrrha gave a nod, and they advanced together on Bondi.

Cinder slashed once across the girl's left-

And the girl's Aura went down instantly.

Cinder pulled back, while Pyrrha froze with bread stick a foot from striking Bondi in the face.

"I g-guess I'm out now..." Bondi stuttered, looking heartbroken. She wandered over to the vending machine to yank her bears out from behind it (which were all dead, lifeless things again, thank god), then turned right around and strode for the exit, shaking her head.

Cinder looked at Pyrrha. Pyrrha looked at her.

They shrugged at each other.

"Let's go and help Blake!" Pyrrha said, determined, pointing across the cafeteria. Blake was engaged with Ruby and Jaune, and Ren and Wisteria, creating shadow clones to evade and avoid their attacks, and retaliating with a length of sausages; it was one versus two, versus two. Which still added up to four against Blake, when Ren and Wisteria weren't taking potshots at Ruby (and Jaune wasn't trying to go after Ren or Wisteria in turn).

Cinder nodded, blew a breath, and followed after Pyrrha in racing across the cafeteria.

Wisteria (a very tall, lanky girl with a shaved head), immediately turned to lock her gaze on them. She raised her hand, and a wave of pure white energy cast off onto the world. It passed over Cinder and Pyrrha, and then, beyond them, it began to twist and bend, and solidify. It became a sphere around them, cutting them off from _everything_.

There was no sound whatsoever, there was no sight but that pure white, that looked like an endless expanse. There wasn't even _touch_ anymore! Cinder looked down, and didn't see the floor - it was just more endless _white_.

Cinder threw herself forward, slamming her fist out, empowered with Aura. Her fist hit _nothing_. It moved forward as if through air, and nothing else! No barrier, no boundary! Cinder's whiffed strike sent her to her knees - or, _not_ to her knees. She just felt like she was floating, flying, hovering, like nothing was even...she couldn't get out, she couldn't _move anywhere_ , she couldn't _escape_ , she couldn't-

Pyrrha gazed all around them, her face _disturbed_. She reached out with her eyes closed, her hands enveloped in magnetic energy. Then, she dropped them. "I can't even _sense_ anything...it's just- just this."

" _Fuck. This!_ " Cinder thrust out her palms, casting out streams of magma from her Lava Dust! It arced, going on for a good ten feet before falling...and falling...and _falling_. _"Arrrgh!_ " She screamed, exploding her Aura out of her body in a radius; Pyrrha was swept up in it, twisting and flipping through the void until she stopped at a point above and to Cinder's right. The void vibrated, rippling, a deep droning noise echoing - and then it stilled again.

"This is an incredible Semblance," Pyrrha said, in a trying-to-be-calm voice. "I wonder what effects it would have on-"

Suddenly, it ended.

The white void evaporated, bleeding away like wet paint, and sound and sight and smell all came rushing in again.

The cafeteria was still engrossed in a battle.

Wisteria was laying on her side nearby, with Blake standing over her. Ruby, Ren, and Jaune were fighting some distance away, around a still standing table.

"What happened to you two in there?" Blake spoke, staring.

"In where?" Pyrrha asked with pure interest.

"Wisteria just trapped you two in this big white _sphere_ ," Blake explained, shaking her head. "I did everything I could to breach it, but nothing worked."

"She _trapped us in fucking-_ " Cinder began, heaving, stalking over to the fallen girl and raising a blade.

"Cinder, _no!_ " Pyrrha seized her arm, yanking her back harshly. "It was- an experience, but _it is not_ an excuse to _hurt someone!_ Just let it go, and let's _go_."

_Team rainbow? Team half-of-it-is-fucking-insane! Maybe even three-fourths, counting Nora's brand of lunacy!_

"Cinder. We're going. Now."

"We haven't _won yet_ ," Cinder said, breathless, holding her ground even as Pyrrha tried to drag her to the exit. "We still have a chance-"

"I don't think you need _more_ adrenaline in your system right now," Pyrrha cut her off sharply. " _Now._ I'm putting my foot down as team leader. I'll let you hold my hand again if you come outside with me now!" she added quickly, desperate.

Cinder stared at Wisteria's unconscious form. She relaxed, her glass weapons shattering, the pieces littering the floor. She let Pyrrha haul her out of the building, as the remains of the three teams continued the fight.

Pyrrha kept pulling her along, even outside - far from the cafeteria.

"Okay, where are we even going?" Cinder asked, mumbling.

"Right...here." Pyrrha pulled Cinder out onto the grass, then shoved her down roughly. She sat down beside her and seized her hand, immediately taking up stroking at it with her thumb. "Just sit, just breathe, and let's just...calm down."

Cinder nodded, falling back into the grass. She let her Aura go, amber particles drifting off her figure. The warm sun shone down on her face.

Pyrrha lay back with her, and she scooted closer, so that they were touching shoulders now.

"I'm sorry..."

"Why? What did you do?" Cinder said, confused.

"I- I just mean that I- if what happened back there...reminded you of...something in your past, a- a moment or, or a feeling, or- I'm sorry that you had to feel that way again." Pyrrha's voice was soft, and neutral.

"It doesn't matter," Cinder muttered. "Nothing about it matters. I'm here now - with you guys."

"All right. Then it doesn't matter." Pyrrha turned her head, and smiled at her.

Cinder squeezed Pyrrha's hand with her own shaking fingers.


	14. Preparing To Dance

"Holy mother of god! You're just keeping a grimm in here like it's your personal pet?"

Kari Silvers eyed Roman Torchwick, then shook her head. "It's not mine - go in," she added, gesturing through the doorway.

Roman held up his hands, backing away down the dusty, dirty hallway. "Hey now, I don't think there's any need for me to get up close with that thing - locked in a room with all those tentacles - who knows what could happen! Nothing I want to say I've checked off my bucket list, that's for damn sure..."

Kari turned her gaze on Neo, twitching her sword at her side.

Neo held her umbrella across her body, a flash of fear crossing her face.

Roman growled, turning his head aside. "Yeesh, you know just where my weak spot is, don'tcha? And not even an ounce of hesitation in taking full advantage of it...I can respect that." He sighed and threw up his hands. "Alright, fine! I'm going in there - but if any really weird shit starts happening to me, I want it on record that I _never_ signed up for- _oof! I said I'm going in!_ "

Kari Silvers shoved Roman in the back, and stepped inside the dirty, small room in the abandoned office building in downtown Vale. She turned to look over a shoulder, and beckoned to Neo; the young woman obeyed, though with no small amount of hesitation.

The jellyfish-like Seer Grimm hovered there, simply waiting. Endless and patient. A mere creature of instinct.

But, a connection to something else - something more.

The Seer's translucent body shimmered, color swirling inside, and a hazy image appeared there. An image of a woman with chalk white skin, black veins on her face, long white hair done up exquisitely, and scarlet eyes that glistened like rubies. A black gemstone was embedded into her forehead.

"Salem," Kari spoke, with the barest trace of sharpness to her usual empty, bored tones.

Those evil eyes moved from Kari, to Roman, to Neo, and back to Kari again. They narrowed. "I'll assume you have a good reason for so casually revealing my existence to two people."

"I have several," Kari replied simply. "The main one, is that they're going to be playing a part in infiltrating the vault under Beacon."

"And that in any way requires this...why?" Salem said softly.

"Motivation."

"Hm." Salem made a noise of surprise. "So you don't believe yourself competent enough to keep them in line without invoking my presence?"

"I believe it's best not to leave things to chance," Kari retorted.

Salem smiled, nodding. "We're in agreement on that, then. Very well..." she sighed. "And what is this plan you've come up with?"

Kari told her.

Salem's expression changed at the end - to one of displeasure. "Kari...I realize how much you pride yourself on _efficiency_ , but surely you realize that your plan is lacking significantly. It lacks scope, it lacks the full breadth of intentions: _my_ intentions. What of the CCT? What of Vale, in its entirety? What of-"

"I'm only here to do what I'm here to do - nothing more," Kari interrupted, her lip curling. "I _know_ what you want: wanton chaos, pointless deaths and uncontrolled destruction. Tearing apart families, killing children, leaving infants in their cribs to be snatched up by the grimm...I refuse to be the architect of such a disgusting thing," she stated plainly, traces of her anger entering her voice. "If you want it so badly, come here and do it yourself - but otherwise, you're just going to have to accept the way _I_ intend to do this-"

Salem's face seized; the Seer Grimm's bladed tentacles surged forth with a high, rapid clicking noise in repetition.

Kari triggered her Semblance and slashed her sword, once, across her body - left to right - and took a single step back.

The severed tentacles fell to the floor, writhing before disintegrating.

Salem's eyes glowed bright red, her lips parting in a snarl. " _You dare-_ "

"If _you dare_ ," Kari cut across her, lowering her blade to her side. "to try that with me again...I'll do more than cut _communications_ with you."

Salem breathed, and her features softened. She sat back, waving an airy hand. A smile came to her lips again. "My, my...it seems there's still a bit of the huntress in you after all. Such _concern_ for all those little lives...even to the point of disobeying my wishes. To the point of _open defiance_. And here I was thinking we had reached something of an understanding. Do you really still care that much for those nameless, faceless masses who never did a single thing for you in life - except hurt you? Degrade you? _Objectify_ you...? They treated you as nothing but a toy for their _pleasure_...and you still want to protect them all?"

Kari squeezed the hilt of her sword. "It isn't _caring_ about protecting them all: it's being efficient in not _wasting time_ slaughtering them all."

"Of course. But, for the sake of the argument, let's say that it was." Salem continued, quite conversationally. "What would you do, Kari? Tell me; will you crawl back to Ozpin, demanding a place in his ranks again? It's either him or me, dear - and do you really think there's any chance now of him accepting you back? Do you think he'll give you a nice big hug, a pat on the back, and an, 'I'm proud of you?' He's the man who abandoned you, remember? And-" She paused, and giggled to herself. "-well, since you _were_ the one who brought up infants in cribs...Are you also forgetting about the most important one of them all? Or rather...the one that _never had the chance_?"

"Shut. Up," Kari said, through clenched teeth.

Salem took a breath. Exhaled. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"And I'm _done_ hearing from _you!_ " Kari's eyes rippled with dark blue flames as she whipped her blade up and drove it into the heart of the Seer Grimm. The image began to waver, the sphere began to crack. "You'll have your Relic, you'll have your _Maiden_ \- but you'll have it _the way I'm going to get it for you._ Or you get _nothing!_ Are. We. _Clear?_ "

She tore her blade free, and the Seer hit the floor with a loud _crack_.

Kari took a moment to compose herself - to let those flames die in her eyes. By the time she turned back to face Roman and Neo, she was as calm and expressionless as ever.

She jerked her chin at them; the pair fled the room quickly.

Kari stalked after them, shutting the door behind her.

"Soooo...you were a huntress, huh?" Roman began, cautious. "You and that Headmaster Ozpin? Between him and that terrifying broad of nightmares - what's her name? Salem? - it sounds to me like you're just stuck between a rock and a real hard place here." Roman eyed her, contemplative. "But you know, in my experience...somewhere in there, there's always enough room to wriggle yourself out from between them."

Kari looked at him.

Roman stepped back, hands coming up. "Okay, shouldn't've said anything - got it-"

"No."

"Uhhh...no?"

Kari's lips tugged into the smallest of smiles. "You're right."

"Tch...of course I am, dearie - but don't expect me to go handing out any more free advice!" Roman added hastily.

Kari strode past Roman and Neo, moving down the dirty, crumbling hallway alone.

Once upon a time, of course, she had not been alone.

But that could never be again.

* * *

"There's a dance on Sunday."

"A dance?" Cinder questioned, nervous.

"You don't have to go - you don't even have to dance," Pyrrha assured quickly. "Not if you don't want to."

"That's four days away," Cinder considered. _I could learn to dance in four days - couldn't I? Of course I can; I'm_ me! _And dancing doesn't even seem all that different from fighting._ "Can you teach me how to dance - please?"

Pyrrha looked elated. "Of course!" A grin stole over her face, mischievous. "I've won a few dance-offs before," she added carelessly.

"Dance-offs?" Cinder questioned. "What are those?"

"They're these very small, one on one competitions where someone challenges another to see who can dance better to the same beat - informal ones usually have a crowd of their peers to judge them on their performance, while professional dance-offs have panels of expert judges involved."

Cinder shot to her feet. "Start teaching me _now_." If there was one more thing she could triumph over Weiss Schnee in, humiliate her in, _crush her with utter defeat in_ (and anyone else who wanted to be stupid enough to challenge Cinder), she _needed_ to learn it! Grades, combat - _dance-offs_! Cinder was going to win it all, she was going to be the best of it all, undisputed across Beacon!

"I'd be happy to," Pyrrha said, with a musical laugh. She held out a hand; Cinder took it without hesitating, allowing Pyrrha to lead her to the middle of their dorm room.

"Hey, Pyrrha, after you're finished with her, I can help," said Emerald excitedly.

Cinder blinked at Emerald. "You know how to dance, too?"

"Yeah - why is that a surprise to you?" Emerald asked, frowning.

"Everything's a surprise to her," Blake commented. "You should learn to stop taking it so personally."

"I don't take it personally!" Emerald cried, glaring.

" _Quiet_ , both of you!" Cinder snapped. " _I'm_ _trying to concentrate here!_ "

Both girls fell silent.

"Thank you..." Cinder muttered. _Idiots._

"Alright now." Pyrrha suddenly pulled Cinder in close, guiding her free hand around her body. "For the type of dancing we'll be doing on Sunday, I think it would be best to teach you this form first..."

Cinder looked Pyrrha's figure over, focusing on the positions of her hands - her free hand had been dragged around to rest on Pyrrha's lower back. So low that her fingers were brushing against the top of her rear. She smiled, stroking her fingers there.

" _O-oh-_ Cinder, no - my mistake - _height difference!_ " Pyrrha sputtered, her cheeks bright pink. "They're meant to be a few inches higher than that. Please!"

Cinder slid her hand up a bit further.

Pyrrha flashed a warm smile, and nodded. "Thank you for listening. That's exactly where it's meant to be." She relaxed, pulling Cinder's hand she held at chest height, out away from their bodies. "Now, depending on the song, we might want to...ah, Emerald, could you put something on for us, actually - please?"

"Oh, I'm _on it_ ," Emerald said gleefully, lunging for her scroll. With a big grin on her face, she flourished a hand and tapped at it. Music immediately filled the room, a slow, piano piece with some breathy lyrics. "Enjoy your very romantic dance together!" She threw herself onto her belly, propped her chin in her hands, and fixed her eyes on the pair.

"It's- perfect- thank you," Pyrrha faltered. Then she shook her head and returned her attentions to Cinder. "All right, now we need to get our feet moving like this, so that we can sway...like this...and we can even start to turn - like...this! You see?"

Cinder glanced down once, nodding seriously as she imitated Pyrrha. "Is this good?"

"It's very good," Pyrrha complimented. "Your body coordination skills from combat training are actually quite transferrable; it will make all of this much easier to master."

"Body coordination skills also really come in handy during the after-date-sex part of the experience," Emerald put in. "So does the flexibility."

Pyrrha's head whipped around. Her face twitched. Her lips worked a moment. " _T-thank you, Emerald -_ you're...very much correct on that," she gritted out, a smile plastered. She looked ahead again, right into Cinder's eyes. "Not...that you and I are going to be doing such a thing together. Please don't think we are. Taking everything into account, it would be quite- premature! We haven't even talked about anything like- you understand? That's a long ways off... _if_ we even agree to- if I even decide to help you explore that- part of yourself. Do you understand?"

"Yes - right," Cinder nodded. "Of course we're not having sex yet," she said casually.

"That's right," Pyrrha nodded vigorously. "If we even do at all!"

"If we even do it at all," Cinder agreed. Although...if Pyrrha wasn't going to be the one to help her experience this part of life...there were other options, weren't there? Her gaze flickered to Emerald. _She'd do it if I asked; she'd jump off a bridge if I asked...and I do like her. She's a nice friend; she's pretty. She's fun._ But...but with how Pyrrha had been going on about how important it was to be comfortable, to discuss and agree on things, to have proper consent...Cinder felt, weirdly, like none of that would be true if she just went and did it with Emerald. If _she just...went and did it to Emerald._ It just didn't seem like it would feel... _right_. Not for Emerald. And besides that bothersome _feeling_ about sex with Emerald, there was the other feeling Cinder had. The one that screamed: _I_ want _to do this with_ Pyrrha!

Well, it was something to worry about later, Cinder decided. She would keep her...options open, however it played out.

No matter what, Cinder was set on getting this experience with _someone_. And sooner rather than later. She was _sure_ plenty of her classmates had done it already, and she _refused_ to be the lone failure, the one falling behind! She was going to catch up, and then she was _going to surpass them all!_ She would have more encounters on her track record than any of them, she'd be _the best at it_ \- the girl of _dreams_ (and she _knew_ plenty of her classmates already _dreamed_ about her; boys had told her so themselves - and a few girls!).

But first, of course, she had to figure out dancing.

* * *

"The shipment should be arriving within the hour," Arthur Watts' voice issued from the scroll.

Kari stood on the docks, gazing out to sea, scroll held loose in hand. "Good."

A snort on the other end of the call. " _Good_ should be the last thing on your mind, after your behavior the other night with _her_. Her fury was nearly enough to level the entire castle - and bury us all along with it."

Kari's lips curved. "What a tragedy."

"Yes, it's all rather hilarious, I'm sure, when you aren't the one in the middle of it all. Look, I realize you've no love for any of us - and the same is true in reverse - but as a matter of mere professionalism while in a working relationship...could you _try_ not to anger the immortal demoness to the point of killing us all?"

"You mean yourself."

"Well, guilty as charged...So?"

"No."

A heavy sigh. "If you think you can keep behaving this way and getting away with it, you're sorely mistaken. Once you're recalled by Her Grace, she's doubtless going to make you pay for every last second of it."

"I've endured worse - including by her," Kari dismissed. "Pain is nothing. Pain leaves you, in time - always. You always know...that it's going to end. Even with death, it comes to an end."

"An interesting outlook. Very well, then. Continue as you will. But I did _try_ to warn you of the consequences."

"I was already aware - and I'm not concerned about it. I will act as I see fit, and Salem will act...as she sees fit. I've been at the mercy of people exactly like her before; she doesn't frighten me. I outgrew that years ago."

"I doubt you've met many immortal grimm queens in your time."

"But I've met many psychopathic, sadistic, abusive control freaks before," Kari replied, staring hard into the ocean's depths. She stepped for the edge, grasping her blade's hilt firmly. "I endured and survived them all - Salem is just another one, with an even larger ego than the rest, after centuries of inflation. And I refuse...to let myself be cowed by another person like that again."

"Hmm. Brave words, to be sure. But I think you're oversimplifying her."

"Then you've fallen for the image she wants to present to the world," Kari scoffed. "They all do the same thing. Fear, power, control...a larger than life image - absolute. All tactics to make sure you don't muster up the presence of mind, or the strength of will to fight back, or escape from them. It's nothing new."

"Maybe so," Watts said at last, with irritation. "but _this one_ is capable of feats of power beyond comprehension, and she controls legions of the darkest, most sickening monsters in this world. I'd say she has more than enough real power on her side to back her image up."

"Your concern is touching."

"Yes, isn't it..."

"When 'real power' wants to fly off the handle again, I'll be here with a smile on my face."

"You _imbecilic_ -"

Kari ended the call, pocketing her scroll.

She drew a breath of clean night air, and sat down to wait, her legs dangling above the water. She tapped a button on her sword hilt, and it retracted into itself twice over, cutting its length short by two thirds. She held it across her lap, one hand ever present, grasping the hilt.

A figure dropped down beside her - a lighter was flicked open, a cigar was lit in mouth. A breath let loose, and billowing smoke (Kari turned her head away, her nose crinkling). "You been thinking about what I said before?"

"Yes," Kari admitted, keeping her head turned aside. She gripped her sword tighter as the smell entered her nose.

"Annnnd...?"

"Nothing, yet."

"Not even a little tiny hint of what you got planned? Come on, who do you think I'm gonna tell? You think _I'm_ going to go make a grimm crystal ball call to the queen of _all_ grimm? What'd I tell yah about the tentacles? It's not worth it. Believe me, if there's one thing I know, it's survival. Always have a plan - an escape hatch. Or, if you think you're bold enough for it...a way to screw you employer over on the way out! So, which one is it with you? Just getting the hell out of dodge, or...do you want to do some damage on the way out as well?"

Kari remained silent.

"Hey, listen, if it's a matter of not knowin' where to go after you've made the break...well, I'm just saying - I've got room in my organization for a skilled, powerful, and drop dead gorgeous woman like yourself. I could make you my second number two woman! My _left hand_ , as it were. You get what I'm saying here, sweetheart? Let's face it: you can't go back to the huntsmen, and you won't be able to go back to this Salem hussy after you're on the out and outs with her. So, where does that leave you?"

Roman shook his head, took another long drag of his cigar. "Okay, still indecisive - well, we got plenty of time to figure that out for you, don't we? My offer's going to be open as long as you need! In fact, think of it as a permanent invitation; just take it up when you feel like it! Walk right on in, and I'll welcome you with open arms."

"Assuming I don't kill you after we're through with each other."

Roman laughed. "No, no, I don't think you will. See, I like to pride myself on being a people person - and you...what was it that Salem lady said? Too much huntress in you? You're an honorable sort of woman. No lies, no tricks, and I'm hedging my bets here...no cold blooded murdering of a business associate. Enemies, huntsmen? Sure! Wipe 'em all out; swing that blade of yours to your heart's content! But me? Neo? We're here, we're working together with you. And to you...even if you don't want it to...I think that means something to you. I think it _matters_ to you. And you know what, even if I'm never gonna be like that myself - all honorable, all honest, all straightforward - I can still respect a person for having the will to stick to it, no matter what the situation is. You've got your code, you've got your values, your ideals...and you have the strength to stick to them."

Kari quirked a smile. "Did you just call yourself weak?"

Roman froze. Then, he laughed - made a dismissive hand gesture. "Ah, I prefer the term 'versatile,' thank you very much. Being like me has more advantages than being like you, much as I can respect you for being how you are: nothing holding _me_ down, always ready to adapt, and always able to escape when I need to. With you...it's a lot harder for you. Those damn pesky convictions, huh?"

"But that still isn't all you are," Kari replied, quiet. "Your dedication to Neo - you care about her."

"Hey, I might lie, cheat, steal, and survive however I can, but I _never_ listed off 'heartless' did I?" Roman retorted, with mock offense. "Yeah, I've got a soft spot for the girl - big deal. I couldn't get much joy out of my life if I didn't feel anything, could I? And what way even is that to live? What's the point if you can't have some fun? Now, you _seem_ like _you've_ got that unfeeling weapon thing down, but I've seen too much of you to be fooled by it - even you've gotta care. In fact...I might hazard a guess and say you care _too much_. The question is, what about? What've you got going on that you feel like you need to just shut down, shut everything out? Or at least, try as hard as you damn well can at it?"

Kari sighed. "I've always tried. It was necessary to survive."

"Well, hey, you stick with me after this is over with, and I give you permission to feel as much as you like! No more necessity there. Like I said: what's the point of life if you can't have some _fun_?"

An airship's lights blinked on the horizon, growing larger every moment.

Kari stood, taking her collapsed blade in hand - and extending it out again.

"Alrighty, then...back to business," Roman murmured, pushing himself up as well and dusting himself off. "What are we getting dropped off here for us?"

"The shield generators."

"Right, right - the most important part of the plan!"

"No," Kari replied. "The most important part of the plan is _her_." She set her eyes on Neo.

Neo blinked; she pointed at herself. She swallowed - hard, and exaggerated. But the apprehension on her face was not at all false.

* * *

Saturday evening, Cinder approached the Schnee girl after lessons ended, and issued her challenge.

The challenge of the dance.

Weiss's response...was simultaneously disappointing and satisfying.

"You don't know how to dance? Well, then I guess I win by default, don't I?" Cinder gloated in Weiss's face, her voice dripping with false sympathies. She turned to walk away, back down the hall of the dorm building.

"Hold on now!" Yang leaped up, pointing at Cinder viciously. A fist went to her hip. A wide grin spread on her face. "Team RWYJ still has a challenger: _me_! You want to dance, then let's dance, hot stuff! I'll make you eat dirt!"

Cinder considered the girl. She grinned right back, hand going to her own hip. "If you're ready to lose, then alright. Let's dance." She snapped her fingers at Emerald. "Music. _Now_."

"On it!" Emerald exclaimed, tapping away at her scroll. She swiped at the screen, and loud, pulsing electric music began to blare up and down the hallway.

"Go Cinder!" Blake called, giving thumbs up and smiling widely.

"I'm sure you'll win!" Pyrrha called out, waving to her with a grin on her face.

Ruby Rose slapped a hand to her face, shaking her head. "Um, I wouldn't be too sure about that; Yang's been on the dance scene for years! Real ones - _clubs_! She's going to wipe the floor with Cinder! Don't tell her I said that," she added fearfully.

"Yang's got this," Jaune said confidently.

"Of course she does," Weiss said, satisfaction filling her voice. "It's going to be _so nice_ to see the look on Cinder's face when she loses."

Yang stalked up to Cinder, throwing her hands in the air, tossing her head of blonde curls. "Ready when you are!"

Cinder flashed a smirk, lifting her chin at the girl. "How generous of you."

"Generous?" Yang laughed. "Nah: it's pity. You're going to lose _so badly_ , you don't even know..."

"Save the pity for yourself," Cinder shot back. "You're going to need it."

"You're a lot of talk - not seeing much action! You can change that any time now!"

Cinder drew breath, loosening her stance, flexing her fingers, and then she raised her arms and threw them down again at her sides, swinging her hips and erupting into motion. She twirled and spun, hands weaving around and between, each other and arms; she stomped her feet and bent her legs for a low spin - she lifted one high and pulled the band from her hair, letting it all loose in a snapback of her entire body.

Yang moved as an effortless blur of yellow, hair flying about. Her face was fixed with that grin, her eyes shone with an easy confidence. She stepped in close, jutting her chest at Cinder as she shimmied her body at her.

Cinder closed the gap, bumping chests with the girl and flashing her leg out between Yang's deliberately; Yang spun away and lifted a leg at the knee, turning it into a 360 spin and a hard stomp, a hip protruded, so pronounced on one side.

Yang's grin grew fiercer, and she winked. "Haha, somebody's getting real down and dirty here! If you want to play by _street rules_ , then we'll play it your way! I can beat you at your own game!"

Cinder found a laugh escaping her throat, tossing her head back. She flashed her hands up and wove them like Dust, working her way back in the girl's face again. She jutted her chin at her, once, twice, again. Then, she triggered her Aura and formed flames around her body, twirling up and down like ribbons. She manipulated the fires, weaving between and around her arms and legs as she danced on, harder and fiercer!

"Now _that_ , that's damn dirty!" Yang proclaimed, but she laughed again and threw herself right back up close. "So is _this_!"

Cinder had to carefully work the flames to avoid striking the girl - but there were some near misses! She cursed in her mind and let it all die, spinning away from Yang and changing her strategy up a little.

They danced on, around and in each other's faces; Yang twirled around Cinder and pressed to her from behind, laughing in her ear before spinning away! Cinder thrust her arms into Yang's, forcing her to weave around hers to continue her dancing. She pressed to Yang's side and danced against her, arms looping around her neck, so she could breathe so sweetly into _her_ ear, "How long do you think you can really keep this up?"

Yang ducked out from under her arms and spun away, kicking back off the wall and going low in splits. She popped back up again, her tempo upping even further. "I can do this all day," she said, faux casual. "How about you?"

Cinder growled at her, heaved a breath. The truth was, she _was_ getting a bit tired; she realized she didn't have the largest array of moves to choose from. Pyrrha hadn't exactly done anything except professional contests. And very strictly in Argus. "The same!" she snapped out.

"Let's see it, then - unless you want to call it? Song's ending soon!" Yang taunted, with another of those damn _winks_ of hers that both infuriated _and_ sent strange feelings rippling through Cinder's stomach.

"You _wish_!" Cinder retorted instantly.

"Hah! Fine, then. We're doing it all the way!"

"You're damn right we are!"

And they did - until the song reached final crescendo, and turned to silence.

Yang pushed her hair behind her head, wiped a hand over her forehead. She was still grinning, had a hand on hip. "You know, that wasn't bad - it was actually great. Was that your first time?"

"Who won?" Cinder demanded, eyes roaming the onlookers.

"Really?" Yang said, annoyance seeping into her voice.

"Who. Won?" Cinder set her gaze on Pyrrha. On Emerald. On Blake. "I was better, wasn't I?"

"W-well..." Emerald's eyes shifted left and right. Then she gave a helpless shrug. "Shit, I'm sorry, but what that girl was throwing out..."

"You were _excellent_ \- but it _seems_ that Yang clearly had the advantage of _experience_ ," Pyrrha said carefully.

"She was clearly better," Blake spoke, eyeing Yang - giving her a small smile. "Sorry, Cinder."

"Hey!" Emerald cried. "You only think that because she-"

Blake whirled, jabbing a finger in Emerald's face. "If you say another word, I'll cut you."

"A-and I'm just going to be...over here with Cinder!" Emerald said swiftly, slinking away. She seized Cinder's arm and smiled up at her. "You were _great_ , awesome, really - but it wasn't enough for a first try. But you'll wipe her out next time!"

Cinder took a long, deep breath. And she let it go. She shoved down at the disappointment, at the anger, at the flashes of hurt. She met Yang's gaze, and forced a smirk. "Well, it's your win this time, then. But _only_ this time - make no mistake of that!"

"Man, even when you're trying your best not to be a sore loser, you still can't manage it," Yang said, stretching and arching her back. "But you're getting there, I'll give you that. And hey - this was fun, you know. I wouldn't mind doing it again sometime with you. Do you even know what it means to just do things for fun?"

"I- I did have fun," Cinder said slowly, nodding. To her own surprise. "I can't wait to do it again. But I'll win next time," she added swiftly.

Yang rolled her eyes, turning away. "Sure! Looking forward to it."

_I will destroy you next time, I'll crush you, I'll burn you to the ground, I'll see you breathless at my feet! I'll give you this one - just one!_

* * *

Half an hour before the dance was set to begin, Cinder put on her longest dress - a flowing gown, of backless and leg slit, a beautiful black color, glistening with the Dust she'd woven into it in a wonderful sparkle that just completed the whole look, in her opinion. It had also come with long black gloves of sheer fabric, that reached past her elbows. And of course, it had an adequately high collar to it.

No need for her scarf, not tonight.

She exited the bathroom and walked out into her dorm room. Her friends set eyes on her. And then - it hit her.

"I- I don't want to go," she blurted, grabbing her arm and ducking her head.

"What? Why?" Emerald asked instantly, worried.

"What's wrong?" said Blake, putting her book down.

"Are you still upset over losing that dance to Yang?" Pyrrha spoke quietly. "If you don't want to see her, or if you don't want to dance at all because of-"

" _I'm not still upset over it!_ " Cinder snarled, her dress lighting up and casting off embers.

"I'm sorry," Pyrrha said kindly. "Let me...rephrase that. If you don't want to go to the dance - for whatever reasons you have - would you like to just stay here with me, then? I don't mind not going, if you need me to be here with you."

Cinder glanced at her. She hesitated. A strange feeling rose in her. "But- you've...been really excited about going."

"I have - but we can still dance together _here_ , can't we?" Pyrrha grinned. "It makes no difference to me! Honest. What's important isn't the dance itself, it's spending time with each other _at_ the dance. But if you're feeling self-conscious, it's my job as your friend to-"

"I'm not self conscious!"

"If you're feeling...unspecified feelings that we won't name because it upsets you," Pyrrha continued on, determined. "then we can leave all those feelings behind, and just stay right here where we're most comfortable. What do you say?"

Cinder sighed, dropping her head again. "Okay, yes - let's stay here."

"Then we will. I'm sure Emerald and Blake will have a lovely time without us."

"Y-yeah..." Emerald began, stammering. "Yeah, that's right; we'll be _fine_ without you guys! I can think of all kinds of ways to humiliate Blake over her crush on Yang."

"It's not a crush, and don't you dare!" Blake said instantly, glaring.

"Oh, I'm gonna," Emerald responded, flashing a grin.

Blake growled, turning away to hide her blush. And her smile.

* * *

"Is everyone ready?" Kari spoke, watching the two airships land in front of the warehouse. She turned to sweep her gaze over the two dozen armed thugs waiting behind Roman and Neo.

"Ready as we can be," Roman said, with a little wave of his cane.

Kari strode forward, getting in his face. She shoved past him, and stood before the goons. She raised her sword in an instant, shrouding her body in blue, and jabbed it forward between the necks of two men - the goons all shrieked and shrank away. She pulled her blade back, and let the energy die. "That...is how fast I will hunt down, and kill, each and every last one of you...if even a single hair on these children's heads gets hurt tonight. Am I understood?"

A chorus of affirmatives and agreements rose in her ears.

Kari turned back to Roman, her long blade nudging against his leg in the process. She met his gaze, and held it. "Am I understood? No... _fun_ tonight. Or you're dead - but first, Neo will die, and I'll throw her corpse at your feet once I've hunted you down."

"Perfectly, crystal clear," Roman said immediately, nothing but serious. He gave a bow. "I'm a man of my word."

"No, you're not," Kari retorted. She narrowed her eyes. "But tonight you will be."


	15. Dance Dance Revelations

Emerald sighed to herself, sitting off to the side of the atrium as she watched her classmates dancing together.

As she had for the past hour or so now.

She kicked her legs, ruffling the hem of her green backless dress.

_Knew it. Who would ever want to be with a girl like me? They can probably all spot it from a mile away..._

She drained her punch and leaned back in her seat.

Suddenly a series of loud whirring noises issued from outside, echoing all around.

And then through the windows she saw hard light dust shields flaring to life outside. Every window, the balconies - all of it was suddenly blocked off.

Emerald rushed to a window and stuck her head out. It was a _dome_ , a dome of a forcefield that surrounded the entire building. And beyond the shield, she saw several dozen dark shapes wielding weapons milling about, taking up positions!

Heavy footsteps issued from the entrance, the sound of those double doors creaking open.

She whirled furiously, reaching for weapons she didn't have.

Terror shot through her at the sight of the new arrival striding into the building.

The next immediate thing Emerald went for was her scroll. She tapped on Cinder in her contacts list; her scroll blinked red, reporting that she inexplicably had no signal!

Emerald's breath quickened, she threw her scroll down and backed away. _Cinder will come for me; she has to see this, even from the dorms! She'll come for me, and she'll beat all of them, and she'll save me! She won't let me down!_

* * *

After nearly an hour alone together, idly chatting and exchanging glances, Pyrrha finally stood.

Pyrrha tapped at her scroll to begin playing music, and then she set it down on edge of a desk and strode to the center of the room. She stood with her hands at her waist, smiling at Cinder, head tilted down just so.

"Would you like to dance now?" Pyrrha asked softly.

"Yes!" Cinder shot to her feet, striding up to Pyrrha. And, much like in their lessons the past few days, Pyrrha took her hands and guided them onto her body.

They danced, much like before, hand in hand, Cinder's stray hand on her lower back. Pyrrha, touching her shoulder. Only, after a few minutes, Pyrrha stepped in, and started stroking at her shoulder with gentle fingers. Pyrrha's emerald eyes blinked, a breath was exhaled. "Is this all right with you?"

"It is."

"Good."

They danced on, slow, swaying, rotating. Pyrrha carefully took them around the room, moving in circles within circles.

Then, Pyrrha moved even closer still, and hesitantly lowered her head to rest her chin on Cinder's other shoulder. "This is alright, as well...?" she spoke, in a breathy whisper - nervous.

Cinder considered. On one hand, it did feel nice; but on the other, she could feel herself tensing at the contact itself. She couldn't really recall anyone else _ever_ being this physically close to her. Not like this, not pressing, not _resting_. But...it was Pyrrha.

"It's okay. I don't mind when it's you."

"I'm glad. Thank you." Relief flooding Pyrrha's voice.

"If- if you're doing this...can I do... _this_?" Cinder let her fingers drop a mere couple of inches.

Pyrrha let a breath go, her fingers gripping Cinder's arm a moment. Then, they relaxed. "It's okay for now - but only for right now. Just tonight. Understand?"

"I understand." Cinder smiled.

After a few minutes in this new position with each other, Cinder dared to begin curling her fingers - caressing, stroking softly.

Pyrrha didn't say anything, so Cinder thought it was safe enough to just keep doing it.

But nothing _more_. If Pyrrha didn't _want_ more, then she wouldn't push it.

That was, apparently, important.

"T-that...feels very nice," Pyrrha's voice came, in a murmur. But she did sound pleased. Like she was smiling.

"G-good," Cinder responded, feeling a warmth in her chest. "I'm- happy...to make you feel nice."

"Oh, Cinder...that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard out of you."

"Thanks."

"Do you want me to- do the same for you?"

"If- if you want to..."

"I do." Pyrrha's hand slid down Cinder's arm, and then crossed around to her backside. It continued to travel down, there, until it reached her rear. She grasped Cinder there much more _fully_ , cupping with her whole palm. Not just overlaying fingers. And soon enough, she took up caressing. And, even a bit of squeezing. Kneading.

Whole new sensations began to sweep through Cinder's insides. She pressed herself to Pyrrha more intensely, more firmly, arching her back. She shifted her legs together as she became aware of a very _new new_ sensation. A physical feeling between thighs.

"Are you all right?" Pyrrha spoke, lifting her head and drawing away slightly. "You're doing quite a lot of moving around."

"Probably - just more annoying _girl sensations_ ," Cinder replied, in a mutter. She glanced down at herself quickly, then up again.

"What kind of sensations?" Pyrrha said, with a lightest smile on her lips.

"Everything is all wet down there," Cinder said flatly. "I hate my underwear right now."

"Oh my...that does sound like quite a problem."

Cinder's eyes narrowed. "You're teasing me."

Pyrrha giggled, her hand going to her mouth. "Only a little - I'm sorry! No, you know that this is perfectly normal - it's even meant to be welcomed. At least, if you want it to be!"

"I remember the books," Cinder nodded, looking down again. She bared her teeth, shifting her thighs some more. "But none of them said it was this uncomfortable."

"W-well, people typically r-remove their undergarments when things get to this stage..."

Cinder blinked. She flushed. "Are you asking me to take my underwear off?"

"Oh no, no! Not- I'm sorry, I meant- well...here, let's sit! Sit, come on, please."

Cinder let Pyrrha pull her over to her own bed, and they sat together. Sat fully on it, facing each other.

Pyrrha made herself comfortable, and waited for Cinder to do the same, just looking at her patiently.

"Have you ever done this before?" Cinder asked, blurting the words.

Pyrrha smiled. "No. I...I honestly never- could have had the confidence until now, with you."

"So I'm special."

"We all like to feel special, Cinder. It's part of making connections, forming relationships at all. Some are deeper than others, closer than others, and that can...manifest in a desire to feel like you're special. Like your relationship is...special."

Cinder looked down, clenching her fists on her thighs. _You're not special, you're never going to be picked..._ _Nobody wants you, nobody loves you..._

"P-Pyrrha..." she started, her voice going high, and quavering.

"Yes?" Pyrrha sounded worried.

"I- I a-already- told you I'm from Mistral, remember?"

"I remember."

 _I'll make us special._ "I- that wasn't _entirely_ true. I...I did spend the f-first...ten years of my life in Mistral. It w-was...I was in an- an orphanage."

A gasp, and a long silence followed.

"Oh, Cinder...is that- your neck? Did they...at the orphanage...?"

"No - not that they treated me any better," Cinder replied, murmuring. "The...burns, come from after. At ten, I- a w-woman came to adopt me. Stepmother. Legal guardian. I w-was with her...until my seventeenth birthday. That's where they came from." Trembling, she moved for the side of her bed, bent low, and reached into the small space beneath her nightstand, fingers squeezing in against dirty, dusty floor unexplored. She found the cords, and pulled, and grasped. She flipped herself upright again, turning back to Pyrrha. She lifted her head and met Pyrrha's gaze, and she held the necklace up for her to see.

The dangling cords, the pendant. And the yellow Dust crystal set into it.

Pyrrha looked from her neck, to the necklace. Just once. And then her face was transformed with horror. Pyrrha was always smart like that. She moved for Cinder, grabbing her free hand and squeezing it in both of hers. She didn't seem to be able to say anything. Then, she pulled Cinder forward and took her into a gentle hug. Cinder dropped the necklace onto the bed in sheer surprise.

"I escaped a few days before I started at Beacon," Cinder spoke on into Pyrrha's shoulder. She was saying it now, and for some reason she didn't want to stop. She wanted to just _say it all_ now - get it out there to Pyrrha. "I was in _A-Atlas_ , those seven years. I was p-part of a family, but they didn't see me that way. I was...also under a- a contract, I guess - some legal thing I f-found out since coming to Beacon; I looked it up in books. I was just a tool, a servant. Slave. I had these two stepsisters, they liked to screw me over, m-make fun of me, get me punished more; I _w-worked so hard, every day, just so that maybe my s-stepmother would be impressed with me, maybe she'd say I did a good enough job for once, and she'd skip punishing me...but she just punished me harder for expecting any praise, expecting her affection. B-because I never deserved it, I never deserved praise, or a-affection, or love...I was nothing..._ "

Pyrrha was stroking her hair, holding her tighter. Cinder didn't know why, but her doing that just made it all _worse_ ; she started to cry, and sob, and then she was bawling and burying her face in her shoulder with no reserves. After it all died down, and Cinder had exhausted herself...only then did Pyrrha speak.

"Is that...the reason you didn't want to go to the dance tonight? Because of Atlas? The soldiers there?" Soft. _Caring_.

"Yes..." Cinder whispered, ashamed.

"It's fine to be scared - especially if you have a very valid reason to be."

"No, it's not," Cinder retorted. "I'm not supposed to be afraid anymore. I'm supposed to be the one making others afraid now! A huntress - skilled, strong, powerful! But I'm too scared to go to a dance because of a bunch of armed soldiers with no Aura...because of a _General_..."

"Well, if you want to see it that way...General Ironwood _is_ a very powerful, very skilled huntsman as well. So it has to be fine to be afraid of him?"

"No! I have to be better than him, better than anyone - I have to- I have to... _I have to!_ I can't fail, I won't! Failure gets you punished!"

Pyrrha squeezed her again, letting out a sigh.

"I don't want you telling Blake or Emerald any of this," Cinder said firmly. "Not like you went and told them about my burns, or like you told Ozpin about me," she went on, accusatory, angry.

"I'm sorry I did that at all; it was wrong of me to break your trust like that. It was _very wrong_ of me. I swear to you, I won't tell anyone anything that you've said tonight. But...you need to tell them sometime, yourself. Please?"

"I- okay," Cinder agreed, her anger bleeding away. "But...not yet. Just not yet. Just _you_ for now."

"Just me for now. I _promise_."

Cinder nodded, and pulled away from Pyrrha. She turned away, staring at the wall. Then, she turned a smile on Pyrrha.

Pyrrha caught her eye, seeming very anxious. "C-Cinder..."

"What?" Cinder said simply.

"I'd like to ask you if I can...can I kiss you?"

"You want to kiss me now?" Cinder blinked. She shrugged. "Okay; go for it - it's supposed to feel nice, isn't it?"

"Y-yes. If...if that's all right? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable, or- if you'd like to just- it's _very important_ that people don't feel pressured, or coerced into things like this! I would never want you to feel as if I did that to you. Especially someone who has already had her...autonomy, her wants and needs, violated before. Ignored before. So I want you to know that this- if you say no, it isn't going to change a single thing between us. And if you want me to never bring this up again, never ask again, then I won't. And I am sorry."

"So...if you want to kiss me now, does that mean you want to be my girlfriend? You want to- date me?" Cinder sought to clarify, thinking hard. "Or do you just want to have sex?"

"I'd like to - ah, date you, that is! But if you don't, that's completely fine. I'm just happy to be able to help you explore this...this part of yourself - of your life. Whether it's dating, or just...physical pleasures."

"I don't know if I want to date you or not," Cinder said bluntly. "But, okay, kiss me and maybe I'll figure it out. That's how these things are supposed to go, right?"

"Supposedly..." Pyrrha agreed. She stepped in, putting her hands on Cinder's arms. Light as feathers, gentlest caresses of fingers. Almost not even touching. She moved her face closer to Cinder's, blinking at her, scrutinizing her the entire time. Then she closed the gap, and lips met lips.

Cinder stood awkwardly until Pyrrha stepped away, thrills shooting through her body. A sweeping sensation, a tingling!

"How did it feel?" Pyrrha asked, nervous.

Cinder smiled. "It felt nice. Can we do it again?"

"Of course!" Pyrrha's face lit up; she leaned in to do just that.

These feelings shot through Cinder, all expected of course (read about, in factual texts and supposed exaggerated texts from Blake), but feeling them for the first time...she was so flushed, she felt so wonderful, she felt-

Pyrrha's hands glided along her arms, her neck, cupping her face, stroking her hair...Pyrrha was pressing, kissing more firmly - no, almost urgently. Cinder responded in kind, doing her best to just mimic Pyrrha.

They broke apart again, heavy this time. Labored. Faces flushed. Smiling. "G-good, good, that was- wonderful," Pyrrha spoke, breathless.

"Is...that it?" Cinder said cautiously, trying not to sound disappointed. She'd read about so much _more_ , in all those books. The factual ones, and the dramatic ones.

"If- if you don't want it to be, I'm willing to...go further," Pyrrha said quietly. "Whatever you're comfortable with. But we need to make sure we're doing things the right way! Safe, clean, healthy. If you really do want to go _there_."

"I'd like to."

"Alright. Then let's take a pause, take a break, and get ourselves ready. Clean, catch your breath - and we can talk a little before we start. We need to know what we're willing or not willing to do, what we're each comfortable with. That's the key to this kind of thing, Cinder: communication. Very clear communication. Even throughout the- experience. It's good for both of us."

"Okay." Cinder nodded, serious.

"Well, fortunately, you did just take a shower not two hours ago," Pyrrha said lightly, smiling. "But I need to clean myself up still - my last shower was this morning, and it's been a long day. So how about you sit here, think about how you might want things to go, exactly, and wait for me."

"I kind of...want to just try everything I can think of," Cinder mumbled out.

Pyrrha flushed. "I imagine you can think of quite a lot...We'll talk about it, alright? Just - relax."

"Sure."

Pyrrha disappeared into the bathroom, and the sound of the shower started up. When she returned, still drying off, a towel around her head, she was wearing nothing but undergarments. Pyrrha didn't speak until she had sat herself down across from Cinder again on the bed; she pulled the towel off and set it aside, put her hands together in her lap, then took in a shaking breath. Gave an equally shaky smile. "Alright now. Do you think you're ready?"

Cinder smiled. "I've been ready."

"Of course. Um, I think we should start with just- kissing again. Is that fine? We can...work our way up from there, as we feel comfortable."

"Kissing is nice," Cinder said excitedly. "Okay! Kiss me again, please! I was starting to feel really _great_."

"So was I," Pyrrha assured. She nodded, then she leaned forward and took Cinder's face in hands again, kissing softly.

They continued as they had been, more earnest now, more sure, on both sides of the interactions.

After a few minutes, Pyrrha pulled away again.

"What?" Cinder said.

"Would you like to...try something new? It's a little- a little extra flair, a way to feel even better while we...do this. If you don't want to, for any reason, just say no and I won't. A-and that goes for anything - ever. If you ever feel anxious, or afraid, or panicked...you can tell me at any point to stop, no matter when, no matter for how long, and I _will_. Okay?"

"All I'm feeling...are really good things," Cinder said with a smile. "But- okay. Thanks. So, what do you want to do?"

Pyrrha's eyes flickered down between them. "I- would you allow me to place my hand there?" She pointed very directly to Cinder's closed thighs, watching Cinder's face closely.

"That _is_ where you're supposed to...isn't it?" Cinder answered, puzzled.

"It's a way to feel a lot of pleasure, yes. But if you don't _want_ to feel it, then you can tell me not to."

"I do want you to," Cinder spoke clearly. _If it doesn't hurt, why does it matter? And why in the hell would I say no to it?_

"A-alright. I'm going to kiss you now, and I'm going to move my hand down."

"Okay, then." Cinder surprised Pyrrha by moving first, pressing lips and caressing her face with utmost focus.

Pyrrha drank into the kiss, and her hand found its destination. Very slowly, pulling up the front of Cinder's bunched up dress even further, and then very lightly touching. Grazing. Cinder parted her legs for her, gasping as even those lightest strokes of fingers sent jolts through her (but not the kind that hurt). Cinder's lips spread into a wide smile.

It definitely wasn't the explosive fireworks and body-wracking tingles that all of Blake's books talked about - but it was still very much a high, heady pleasure that the formal textbooks talked about. And either way, it was still a greater, more wonderful feeling than anything Cinder could ever remember her own body producing before in life. If she had known about _this_ all those years ago, she would have been doing _this_ on a daily basis! She was going to have to _start_ doing it now, she told herself elatedly! Cinder _did_ have hands of her own to work with.

Pyrrha's hand continued its motions, the rubbing and circles on a single point, and Cinder found herself unwillingly pressing into her hand, kissing her all the more intensely, and then gripping at her arms with both hands as her body seized and her back arched, jaw dropped...

And Cinder fell straight back onto her bed, utterly limp - and annoyingly _drenched_ between her legs now more than ever.

"A-are you alright?" Pyrrha said, touching her shoulder. "I'm sorry if I-"

Cinder _giggled_. She giggled into fits, shrill and wracking, as much as the pleasure that had just taken over her a moment ago - at Pyrrha's expert hand! She rolled onto her side and hugged herself, drawing in her knees and transitioning into intense chortling! She slammed her eyes shut as tears leaked freely out of them.

"Cinder, you're actually starting to scare me now," Pyrrha spoke again.

Cinder opened her eyes, breathing ragged as the noises died away in her. She made to sit up, pushing with a single, absent - and still a bit shaky - arm.

And a light caught Cinder's eye from the window. A blue glow.

She turned to look properly, all joy and pleasure fading assuredly in face of puzzlement.

"C-Cinder-"

"Is that normal?" Cinder pointed to the window. "That's a forcefield. Why is there a forcefield around the dance building? Is it some kind of security system, or...?"

Pyrrha turned to look, too. A sharp frown overtook her face. "No, Beacon doesn't have that kind of advanced technology," she said slowly. "Atlas does, but I doubt General Ironwood and his security teams would have erected an entire Hard Light Dust shield around the building...at least, not unless there was some sort of major emergency."

"Whatever's going on, it's _not_ normal, then," Cinder nodded. She rolled off the bed and stood on trembling legs, her dress falling down fully to cover them again. She took her weapons off her nightstand. Swords in hands, bow and arrows on her back. "We're going to figure out what's going on over there."

Pyrrha dressed in simple pajamas pulled off her nightstand (she was always so organized), and called her spear and shield to her from across the room, her expression fierce and determined. "Let's go."

Cinder took the lead and vaulted out the window, falling all the way to the ground.

Pyrrha dropped down next to her, and together they raced across the campus.

* * *

The black armored woman stepped further into the hall, her long scarlet hair flowing. Her dark cape rippling. Her face was a stony mask, her eyes were dead. In her hand, held in a reverse grip, was that long sword of hers. It dragged along the floor, grating and echoing.

And in her other hand, she was grasping the neck of a small, black haired, green eyed teenage girl wearing simple pants and shirt with cutesy cat logos on them. The girl looked terrified, her eyes wide and her mouth open. She had a black eye, and a large, freshly bleeding cut across her neck.

The woman's eyes scanned over the crowd, which had backed itself up to the far side of the room.

The teachers, two dozen soldiers on the ground, and Ironwood, had all moved to place themselves between _her_...and the students of Beacon.

"Everyone: _hold!_ " Ironwood's voice rang out, his arm raising high. He scanned all the soldiers, including the ones up on the upper floor who were about to aim guns over the railing. "She has a hostage."

Ozpin stood out in front of the other teachers, his cane clutched tight in hand.

The woman locked her gaze with Ozpin's, and her head turned just so to the left. A thin smile came to her lips. "I wonder..."

"Kari..." Ozpin spoke, his voice hard, warning.

"Where was all of this for me?" the woman - Kari - continued, in a loud, clear voice that rang through the hall. "You were the one who sent me to her - the one who _left me with her_. I wonder now...how many of _these children_ are you going to send to her? Leave with her?"

"Don't do this here - let that girl go! Let these students go! If you wish to air your grievances against me, against Glynda, against Ironwood, then I'll give you all the time in the world to do so. If you wish to hear a million apologies, I'll give you every last one, from the bottom of my soul. But the children _h_ _ave nothing to do with it!_ "

"They have everything to do with it," Kari replied. Utterly toneless, almost bored. "Because you designed it to be that way. Are you that two-faced? Create a system to turn the children of this world into weapons to throw at her, knowing they'll never win, then mourn them when they die? You knew from the start what you were doing - with all of them, and with _me_. You knew, and did it anyway." She paused, her eyes narrowing. "It must be nice to have the luxury of not worrying about death."

"Kari-"

"But that just makes you the greatest coward in this world," Kari continued. "The one person with the ability to never die, and he sits back drinking coffee, sending _everyone else_ around him to die for him. You should be the one out there in that hell, against the grimm, against _her_ \- not sitting in a tower pretending to be a wise, noble man. You're anything but."

"Please."

Kari tilted her head. Her smile widened. A light chuckle emerged from depths of her throat. "Are you finally afraid? Afraid I'll expose all your closely kept secrets? Afraid of that...but still never of dying. _I_ was afraid of dying." She stepped in, bringing her blade up and around, holding it loose at her side, pointing forward now. "When you left me to her, I was afraid every single second. I thought that every moment would be my last. It was only _her_ mercy that saved me - not _yours_."

"Kari, _please_ , we can talk about all of this - but you need to let the children go _first_!"

"You're so afraid - good. I want you to feel even more frightened."

"I'm begging you-"

"And I begged you, every day, in my own mind, to save me...and you never answered." Kari appraised the students, bringing her sword up across her body, held in one hand without effort. "Why should they be saved?"

"Don't do this."

"What is the worth you see in them...that you didn't see in me?" That long sword was held swiftly across the throat of the black haired girl. A tear rolled down the girl's face. "What is _this girl worth_ that I wasn't, to you? Some nobody from Vale's suburbs?!" Kari was angry now, life flashing in those eyes. Her voice was hoarse, rising. "Me, my team, we were _special,_ we were _good_ , we were worthy of your secrets! But not worthy of keeping alive, apparently! Not _worthy of saving!_ "

"Kari, just tell me what it is you want!" Ozpin said quickly, insistent. "Please, I'll do whatever it is you want - just _tell me_ , and let her go!"

"You know, she let the grimm have them - but it wasn't quick," Kari went on, almost to herself now. "Three times over, I had to watch, hear, smell...my teammates being torn apart and eaten alive by monsters. Right in front of me."

"I'm s-sorry," Ozpin replied, his voice cracking. "But none of that justifies what you are doing _right now_. Let. Her. Go."

"Not yet," Kari spoke, her voice returning to its usual tones of near boredom. Toneless, uncaring. Her features went blank once more. "We're going to take a trip into a vault. If you try anything, she dies; don't test me, I don't bluff. And you know I'm fast enough to kill her before even _you_ can stop me."

"I know." Ozpin looked down. "I believe you. I don't value the contents of the vault beyond the lives of innocent children."

"We'll see. Drop the cane and come forward."

Ozpin obeyed, slow and careful.

"Let's go," Kari ordered.

The three of them walked out of the building, to the edge of the shield. A section dematerialized, and they exited through it - it shimmered back into place behind them.

* * *

"They don't look like they belong here at all," Pyrrha whispered, pointing from their hiding place, crouched behind some bushes.

"What do they look like?" Cinder asked.

"Criminals - gang members. Heavily armed, at that." Pyrrha paused, and then pointed to a man standing out from the rest - a man with a long coat, a bowler hat, and a cane. "That one appears to be their leader; he's likely much more formidable than them."

"Gang members, huh..." Cinder's lips spread into a wide grin. "So, that means we need to stop them, and free all those poor trapped students and professors - and our own friends, of course?"

Pyrrha looked at her a long moment, her expression shifting rapidly between many different emotions. Finally, she looked down, and sighed. "Unfortunately so, yes. It seems that way. When lives are in danger, a huntress must be prepared to take lives in order to save others - if it's necessary to do so."

"And it's definitely necessary tonight?" Cinder pressed, eager.

"I...I wish you wouldn't sound so hopeful about that. Taking lives is not something we're meant to do lightly." Another sigh. "But, yes, it is. As your team leader, I am- giving you permission to...do whatever it takes to rescue our friends." Pyrrha's head came up, and she met Cinder's gaze. And then, she gave a wavering little attempt at a grin of her own. "Cinder: Go out there and fight like you've always wanted to."

"Pyrrha..." Cinder gasped, as her body tingled, and flushed through with a freshly familiar sweeping sensation that had her squeezing her thighs together under her dress.

"Yes?"

"I'm wet again."

Pyrrha closed her eyes, tilting her head skyward. "This is a _very inappropriate time_ for that kind of talk."

"I think it's the _perfect_ time..." Cinder quivered. She rose from behind the bushes, stepping out and stalking forward with twin blades at her sides.

The nearest goons noticed her, and pointed their guns at her, immediately opening fire!

Cinder twirled her blades furiously, blocking the bullets that came her way and breaking into a run. She descended on them with flashing blades and scorching flames, the biggest smile on her face.

* * *

Emerald startled as gunfire erupted outside, beyond the shield. Yelling voices, shouting - screaming and shrieking.

Several bodies, and body _parts_ smacked up against the shield in front of the entrance with wet _thwaps._

A stream of flames pounded against the shield, burning two goons as they got to their feet; they fell again, writhing, scorched messes of black charcoal.

High screeching, and then a series of explosions; lava splattered against the shield.

A brief lull, and then more explosions came, and more screams.

An armed man stumbled into Emerald's view outside, a black arrow with a burning tip in his chest; it exploded, a mess of superheated gore and guts spraying everywhere.

A dark shape passed back and forth, darting in and out of view, flames swirling and fireballs blasting out from them. Twin steel blades flashed, slicing off a leg and an arm of a thug - a shriek, a rifle clattering to the ground.

" _Aghh - n-no, please-_ "

A blade flashed, piercing the man's chest. Digging in, further and further to hilt...and then it was ripped free, and the dark shape flitted away again.

Emerald beamed, racing to the window to get a much better view of it all.

* * *

Cinder seized up a man by the throat, lifting him with effortless, superhuman strength! She let him gurgle, let him pound at her arm, grinning at him in silence. Then she squeezed, and jerked her arm aside!

A loud _crack_ split the air, and he went limp in her grasp.

Cinder lazily tossed him aside, and darted off toward where Pyrrha was engaged with three thugs of her own.

Pyrrha threw her shield into a goon, knocking the woman onto her backside and sending her weapon skittering away across the stone. She flipped forward and slammed her foot across her face, knocking her out cold. She turned and twirled her spear, blocking gunfire, while she reached with her free hand to call her shield up to her again. She lunged, blocking the bullets, and slashed her spear across a man's chest and kicked him backwards. Then she twirled and extended the spear with a button press, _spearing_ another through the heart. She pulled free and rolled, coming up with her spear in rifle form, and fired at some more distant goons with expert marksmanship.

Feeling a little disappointed she had missed out on that bit of action, Cinder changed course and ran for the head goon of them all: the big boss with the cane and fancy hat. If Pyrrha thought she could kill more goons then her, like that _mattered_ in the long run, she was mistaken! Cinder was going to kill the leader, which would put an end to _all of this_. And it would be a lot more impressive to their professors, surely!

The man was running away like a coward, full tilt.

Cinder leaped into the air and began raining fireballs down on his backside.

He suddenly leaped left, then right, and then he turned around and swiped his cane, actually blocking the last fireball completely - dissipating it!

Cinder growled, coming down on her feet and rushing to close the distance with a speed blitz, a burst of Aura.

He whipped around and aimed his cane out at her like a gun - and then it _was_ a gun, and a large Dust round was rocketing out for her.

Cinder threw herself to side to avoid it. But he followed it up with another, and then a third, and a fourth. She weaved and twirled on her heels, avoiding them all - but some were close. Too close for her comfort! She snarled and lunged again, this time too close for him to fire. She slashed her blades viciously, throwing in kicks and knees.

He was faster than she would have thought, spinning and blocking with that cane of his. He was a defensive fighter - he was _all_ blocks and redirects, she noted.

She'd fought people with his style before; she could take him.

Cinder flashed her palm out and threw a fireball, point blank, which caught him inside his guard and sent him skidding backwards. She leaped high and did a front flip, swapping out a sword for her bow, and manipulating the Dust in her dress to form three explosive arrows in an instant. She aimed, and fired them all off. A little nudge with her Semblance and they were redirected to different points around the man. One on his left, one on his right, and one behind him. He rolled forward with a panicked expression as they went off, flaring his Aura (orange, Cinder saw) even still. Most of it was fast, hot pieces of stone shrapnel that got him.

Cinder came down on him with a fourth arrow notched, and she let it loose just before she landed in front of him. He swung his cane and blocked the arrow, intent on redirecting it. As soon as his cane made contact with the arrow, Cinder flexed her fingers; the arrow dematerialized, and particles of burning glass and Fire Dust shards splattered against his chest. And then, they exploded. Cinder did a backwards handspring, evading the majority of her own blast.

The man yelled out as he was sent rolling across the stone, his Aura flaring again - much stronger this time.

Cinder's Aura sensory training told her _his_ was very low now; he was almost there, almost down. Almost ready to _die_!

She grinned ferally and darted at the man once more.

Suddenly, a roaring noise filled the night, and a blinding light was cast onto Cinder.

She brought her arm up over her face, shocked and just completely _thrown off_.

There was a faint whirring noise, and then a massive gun barrel erupted at a point beyond the light.

Powerful, frenzied bullets came for Cinder - two pounded right into her body, and sent her flying backwards. They blasted into the stone, blowing chunks out of it, moving for Cinder again.

Cinder rolled, panicked. Then, she pushed herself up and crossed her blades in front of her, setting her jaw. _I'm not losing! You think I'm scared of a ship?!_

She bent her legs and ran right at the oncoming bullets, and she exploded her Aura under her feet and leaped for the airship!

She sailed high through the air and rammed both her blades into the side of the ship's hull. She lifted a hand free and aimed as best she could for the cockpit window, and let loose a blast of fire!

The airship lifted high and swerved to one side, then back the other way; they were trying to dislodge her! _Her!_

_I'm not through with you yet!_

Cinder drew her bow with her free hand, and using only her Semblance and expert Dust manipulation, she crafted an explosive arrow and let it loose with her mind, aiming for one of the airship's engine pods.

The arrow struck home; she replaced her bow on her back, and triggered the explosive with utter triumph!

Unfortunately, she'd neglected to take into account just how close she was to her own explosion.

It slammed against her Aura, and the force of it jarred her loose, sending her flipping and twisting into open air.

 _No!_ _Goddamit, no!_

Cinder righted herself as she fell, and managed to land on her feet - but she hit _hard_ , and it flared her Aura _again_ on impact.

She fell to her knees, gasping and snarling as she watched the airship fly off over the forest! She slammed her fist into the stone, cracking it.

Gunfire burst behind her, and the noises of Pyrrha's combat exertions.

Cinder stood, giving her blades a furious twirl, and spun on a heel.

So she'd failed at _that_ \- fine! She could still beat Pyrrha out on the number of goons killed!

Her frustration and anger faded, and a smile slowly returned to her face.

Yes, that would make up for it rather nicely.

* * *

It had been a good fifteen minutes now, and the sounds of battle had completely died down.

Emerald sat waiting eagerly, knowing in her heart that Cinder had to have _won_!

Suddenly, the shield sputtered, and disappeared.

Light footsteps, and Emerald saw a slender figure waltzing in through the doors. Bow in one hand, sword in the other.

Her hair was wild, her eyes were shining, and her lips...were smiling the biggest smile.

"Those people were _oh so_ _rude_ , interrupting this wonderful night of ours; but don't worry - I made sure they all realized just how much of a mistake it was!" Cinder called out, setting hand on hip.

" _We_ made sure of that - _very regrettably,_ " Pyrrha spoke, coming up beside Cinder with her spear in hand. A spear coated in dripping blood.

"I killed more than you," Cinder retorted.

"It wasn't a competition," Pyrrha said sternly.

"It was for me," Cinder smirked.

"Of course it was," Pyrrha sighed, shaking her head.

"I knew you'd come for me, I knew you would!" Emerald cried, jumping to her feet and racing for Cinder. She slammed into her and wrapped her arms around her! And then, to her utter delight, Cinder hugged her back - and stroked her hair!

"I mean, of course I would...we're friends, right?" Cinder mumbled out. "Did you think I was just going to sit back and let a bunch of idiot thugs hold you captive? Or Blake? I happen to like both of you, you know..."

Emerald squeed and hugged Cinder tighter.

"Students!" Oobleck cried, rushing forward in a blur of speed. "While your heroic rescue of a show of heroism is greatly appreciated, and to be commended - no doubt we'll figure out some kind of reward for you both - I'm afraid we're not necessarily out of the woodworks yet, as it were!"

"We're not?" Cinder said, pulling an innocent face. She used a single hand to pry Emerald loose and shove her back. "It looked pretty clear out there to me, professor..."

"I'm afraid I refer not to the mere mooks you girls, ah, _dealt with_ , but to the one orchestrating it all! Kari Silvers - she took Ozpin, took a civilian hostage. Something very important we teachers need to take care of now. You've done your part, very wonderfully I might add, but now you should remain here while we go and...take care of the rest."

"But, sir, we're the two best fighters in this school - we just proved it - and we could help-"

"I'm afraid not, Miss Aryle; highly capable though the pair of you may be, you are still no match for someone like Ms. Silvers. No, best that you remain here - comfort your teammates."

Cinder dropped her head, a breath escaping. "Yes, sir...understood."

"Be very proud of yourselves tonight - but you've done _enough_ for one night," Oobleck said, patting her shoulder and rushing past her.

* * *

Kari stepped into the elevator of Beacon Tower, keeping her face as expressionless as she could. Willing her hand not to tremble.

Willing Ozpin not to see it.

But, here, in the dark confines of a box...

Kari couldn't help but be lost to the worst of memories that her mind contained.


	16. My Little Box

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so here's a bit of weird meta, a Rwby Flashback-esque chapter, in a story that was born from a Rwby flashback episode! :D This is my Lost Fable/Midnight chapter, almost entirely focused on the past backstory of a single character. <333 One I've been excited to go into.

Fifteen year old Kari Silvers sat on her bed, gazing out the window excitedly, eagerly.

The grass billowed, the trees swayed.

The sun shone down on Mistral's land.

Today was the day they were coming for her, to take her to her new home at last!

She never imagined she would be chosen, especially not now - it was so rare for anyone older than ten to be picked out.

But she had been.

Kari saw the vehicle pulling up in front of the building, and she raced out of her room down the halls.

She almost tripped on the small, scrawny dark haired girl scrubbing the floors. She heard a sniffle as she ran on ahead.

She slowed as she came into the entry hall, finding the matron waiting for her.

And _them_!

Both of them, standing there, smiling at her like last time they had met, some weeks ago now.

"You're ready to go?" the woman spoke, coming up to Kari and putting hands on her shoulders. Smiling at her even more warmly.

"Yes - yes, Ms.," Kari said quickly, nodding.

"Then we won't waste time," said the man, giving her a nod back. "Let's get you to your new home."

Kari took every step out of there in earnest. She was helped into the vehicle, and as it pulled away she took her last look at the place.

The old farmhouse turned orphanage.

_I'm not an orphan anymore._

* * *

The first few weeks were a dream. The dream Kari had always dreamed of.

But, then, one night...it became a nightmare she never could have imagined.

Kari Silvers hated the nights.

That was when her parents always came into her room. When they always brought others in.

Telling her she was doing good, getting money for the family that helped support them all, let them live.

She'd learned not to yell, or bite, or fight. Not anymore. Learned it painfully. Learned to keep her face as blank as possible, learned to keep her body relaxed, easily movable, how they wanted her.

And a part of her, a very shameful and guilty part of her, had even learned to take pleasure out of it when she could.

Until one night, someone took Kari away. Her parents just told her she was going to a new home now, and to listen to what the person said...or else.

And Kari did end up in a new home.

She ended up moving between several, over the next two years.

Some worse or better than others.

Until she came to the worst one of them all.

A place where what they expected out of her...wasn't to stay silent, but to make noise for them.

What was learned became a sudden refuge - an essential skill, just to survive the fresh hell she'd found herself in.

* * *

They always told her not to fight.

Not to scream (outside of when they _wanted her to_ , of course), not to bite.

Told her not to _try_.

Like all the others before.

But somehow, some way, in all of it...alone in her little box, Kari arrived at the conclusion that she wasn't going to go along with it anymore.

Bound, gagged, blindfolded, and stripped naked, she refused to go with it anymore.

She didn't want the box, she didn't want them, she didn't want this.

She wanted the freedom, the life, the dream she'd expected, two years ago.

So she started to fight for it.

She kicked, she hit, she bit, she screamed when she could.

They'd break her bones, blacken her eyes, burn her, even.

But none of that really mattered to Kari.

It was when they grabbed, when they scratched, when they penetrated, that she actually cared.

Pain would leave her, it would always heal up.

But those feelings? Those sensations?

She felt them in phantom, even hours after, into the night.

Her plan to fight only worked, in all honesty, because of an oversight. Something they hadn't had to account for with her yet.

Her sense of hearing, when put away in the box.

And she hid it from them, she didn't make noise, not yet. She waited, she listened.

They had _guests_ sometimes.

Guests that, from all Kari heard, she had to hope...had to guess...were good, normal people.

People who just didn't know!

But if Kari could get them to know...

The perfect one to know.

A younger voice, a boy's voice. Like hers.

She listened to him when he came over, when he'd come down to the basement once or twice to look for something or other he needed that was missing. A drink, or a tool.

Kari imagined all kinds of fantasies in her head, about that boy and herself. About all the ways she'd kiss him, compliment him, put herself down on her knees for him, if he was the one to save her...

The reality wasn't so...beautified.

But it matched closely enough, to Kari.

One day, the stars aligned and fate came for her.

Her parents had left, driven away on some errand - and they'd left the boy alone upstairs!

She knew his name: Wyn.

She wished she wasn't gagged, wished she could say that name...

Even once would be enough.

Fate led him to her, into the basement, alone.

In an utterly perfect silence.

She heard shifting, movement around out there.

He was looking for something, or maybe just screwing around to see what he could find.

Kari screwed up her face, and she acted.

She slammed herself against the side of her box! Once. She waited. Again! Waited. A third time! She smacked her skull against it, again and again and again!

There was more noise from outside, shifting, heavy - and much closer.

A loud _crack_ , just above Kari's face!

And then...at last...

Her box opened, and warmth of light and a rush of fresh air spilled in on her.

Shaking, smaller hands than she was used to touched her head, and her blindfold was lifted away.

And greeting her overhead, looking down on her with complete _horror_ , was _him_.

He had a little dagger in one hand, Kari noticed. And for an instant, all her hopes were dashed. Every single dream, every fantasy. That this wasn't a good boy, this wasn't a good person, there weren't any, not really, and he was just going to put her through more...

And then he smiled at her, and he spoke to her.

"Hi," he said. "I'm- I'm Wyn, and I'm going to get you out of here. Okay?"

Kari blinked up at him, hardly daring to believe it. Was her mind playing tricks, like it often did? Wanting to get away from what was to come?

Wyn carefully slid his blade up under the gag, and cut it free. Then he moved to cut the ropes on her wrists. He quickly freed her ankles, taking her hand and pulling her up out of the box.

She stood, wobbling on her feet. Staring at his face.

He looked her over, shock and mortification there. Then he looked at her face, determined.

"What's your name?" he asked. "I already told you mine...Please?"

"Kari..." It was toneless and barely a whisper. She still wasn't sure, and until she was...she couldn't show a thing to him. Not a feeling, not an emotion, nothing. It would only be dashed, killed.

"Okay, great. Kari. Come on," he told her, quiet and quick. "I'm going to-"

Quick footsteps coming down the stairs.

Kari's parents were back.

They came into view together, looking not at all happy. "Where are you going to go with her, do you think?"

A dust pistol was being aimed at Wyn.

"Do you think we aren't going to look for her? Take her right back? Do you think no one else is going to look for her, even if you do get her out? Customer satisfaction is important. And a runaway purchase...isn't a good look," said Kari's adoptive father, utterly casual.

"She's a girl, not a p-purchase!" Wyn yelled out, causing Kari to startle. He moved suddenly, pushing her back and blocking her from view with himself.

"She can be both."

Wyn brought his blade in front of him, aiming it forth. "If you don't let us go, the cops, my family - my mother is a huntress - they'll all be on your asses! So get out of the way i-if you know what's good for you! This is over, you're done!"

Kari's mother sighed, rolling her eyes. "Do you think we don't know how to do this? No one's found her, and no one will find you. They'll look everywhere, desperate and sad...but they never will. Just like her."

Wyn sucked in a breath, probably trying to calm his shaking hands. And Kari, on an utter slip up of an impulse revealed, reached out to him and squeezed his hand. He glanced back at her, looking surprised. Then, his face was set. "I want you to run," he told her under his breath. "Can you do that? I'm going to...I don't know...and then you run. Just run."

Kari blinked at him again. She drew a hoarse breath. Was this really real? Or just the fantasy playing out in full now? Was she still back in her box?

"There's nothing you can-" her father began.

Wyn lunged with superhuman speed, darted left as the gun fired, twisted to the right, and tackled him back against the stairs. He drew his arm back and screamed as he shoved his blade through his stomach. He was being grabbed by Kari's mother, seized and pulled off of her father. The blade tore free, and blood spilled. Wyn was thrown against a shelf, knocking it over and falling on it.

Wyn rolled over, staring at Kari. She couldn't help herself; she had hunkered down on the floor, put her arms around herself. "Run, go- just run-"

 _Run?_ Kari thought, in some part of herself. _I thought I decided to fight...?_

But then why wasn't she? Where had all that gone?

Kari's mother was on Wyn, lunging at him, grappling. He twisted his blade around and slashed it across her; Kari saw the flicker of some kind of energy around her mother's body - an Aura. Iron hands grabbed him, lifted him up and hurled him against the wall hard. She aimed the Dust pistol at him and fired.

And then _the boy_ was flaring with a swirling energy, a beautiful, pure white. The bullet struck him, and he stepped back with the impact. He gasped and slapped a hand to his chest.

Kari's mother fired again; he managed to get his blade up and deflected the round into the ceiling.

Wyn looked to Kari again. "Kari: run! Please! Please just run!"

Kari's eyes widened. _Run?_ _All I want is to run! But they'll catch me, I can't! They'll kill me...and I decided to fight! I want to fight...but I want to_ _run...but-_ But she couldn't just leave _Wyn_ behind. He'd risked his life for her, _he was_ risking his life for her! Her own parents were going to kill him! Kill _her_ for this, surely! _So, so..._ _so I'll kill them first!_ Her trembling form was shrouded in blue particles, and then she was racing across the room in the blink of an eye!

Her mother turned, but she'd hardly gotten half way around before Kari was on her. Barreling into her, taking her to the floor.

Kari punched her half a dozen times in the face in under three seconds, flaring her Aura each time, and then she'd seized her head and slammed it back against the floor repeatedly. The concrete cracked with each hit, the woman's Aura flared on every hit more intensely, until it finally _broke_. Kari kept at it until the blue energy had faded, and the woman was left laying still with blood pooling under her head.

She let a breath go, a single breath, and then she began to tremble harder than ever as she realized what she'd just done!

Wyn slowly walked up to her; Kari turned away, working hard to make her face the same mask as always. "Kari. Come on. We can go now. Do you...want to go with me? Or is there somewhere else you want to go? I can take you home, you can be safe with me."

Kari looked at him, fighting with herself. She wasn't successful: she knew her shock had shown on her face. She had felt her lips tug into a start of a smile. It was her dreams, her fantasies! It was-

She stood, giving him a small nod. She gritted her teeth together. The words emerged, strained, but hopefully lacking any inflection. "I'll go with you." Just...simple. Simple words. Nothing else.

Wyn gave her a nod, and held out a hand. "Come on then."

* * *

"Listen you- you heard what they said back there...people will try to find you. So we can't let people see you, if you want to stay safe. Right? So you- when my parents are home, if they try to come in here, you need to hide..."

Kari nodded, resigning herself to a new box.

She stood silently in the closet, forgetting she existed.

After some minutes, the door opened and Wyn let her out again.

Wyn led her to the bed, and she sat down on it.

"I'm training to be a huntsman - like my mom," he spoke, as he handed her some spare clothes of his. Simple pants and a shirt.

"A huntsman," she said, trying to keep the wonder out of her voice - and the gratitude, as she donned the outfit.

"Yeah. You know, they fight monsters, save people. I'll be going to try getting into Beacon in two months - it's supposed to be the best academy in Vale. And on Remnant; my mom says, anyway..."

Kari nodded. "You saved me. You'll be a good huntsman," she stated, toneless.

Wyn gave her a strange look. He ran a hand through his hair, shook his head. "I didn't do it to...be a good huntsman. I did it because it was the right thing to do- hey, what're you d-doing?!"

Kari pressed to him, her lips to his, desperate. Her hand found the place it was familiar with on his body. Until he pushed her back. "You saved me."

"I- yeah but that-" Wyn looked sick. He pushed her back again, as she tried to press herself once more. "No, stop, hey - did those people make you do things like that to them?"

Kari nodded, sitting back and hugging herself. Not like her fantasies, then. The boy who saved her didn't even want her to touch him!

"Look, I- I didn't mean to make you upset, Kari, it's just...you don't have to do that to me. To anyone. Ever again. Got it?"

Kari nodded, fighting to keep her expression vacant. "I could do the same - become a huntsman, couldn't I?"

"A huntress," Wyn corrected, relief on his face. "Yeah, I bet you could. You've got a Semblance, and that means your Aura has to have unlocked too. You're already most of the way there." He paused, and he grinned. "Hey, if we did it together, we could make a good team, huh? We made a good one back...back there, I'd say."

Kari nodded, deep in thought. She couldn't change her own past, couldn't save that girl - but she could save others from the same fate. Just like Wyn had saved her, now, today. She could go on _with him_ to save more. "I think that would be great."

"Then let's do it!"

* * *

Iris and Iolanthe, twin girls, fought alongside them in the initiation test.

They rounded out the team, becoming Team KIWI.

Kari, Iris, Wyn, and Iolanthe.

Kari, somehow, had become leader. She wished it could have been anyone else - but she wouldn't let it show to anyone. It was done, she _was_ the leader.

* * *

Kari didn't want to have to touch another person if she didn't have to (except the one person she _wanted_ to touch, but wouldn't touch her).

She forged Persuasion, a massively long, sharp sword, able to collapse in on itself with a push of a button.

"Why did you name it Persuasion?" Wyn asked.

"So I can do this." Kari rotated the blade in both hands, and held it out across Wyn's shoulder, tapping it to his neck. She smiled slightly. "I'll persuade you," she intoned.

Wyn gave a grin, and Iris and Iolanthe broke into laughter.

And Kari let herself smile, too.

* * *

Kari initiated her Semblance, slashing the grimm a dozen times in a second, twirling and kicking it back into another.

She leaped high and triggered it again, slicing down through another, the speed turning to force to cleave it in half vertically.

Kari turned and saw a beowolf closing in on Wyn from behind; she lunged, sword held forward, and impaled it on the end. A flick of her wrist and another second of speed, and the grimm went flying into the air. She gave a great backhanded slash, bisecting it before it could hit the ground again. The two halves fell around her.

"Thanks," Wyn said, letting a breath go and smiling at her.

Kari gave the barest of smiles, a warm flutter in her stomach, and turned away to slice an approaching Ursa's leg off before it could get within...well, precisely twelve feet of them.

Her first mission was going well, in her opinion.

* * *

Kari bedded him at nineteen, in their third year at Beacon together.

"If you really want to do this, we can do this, Kari. But I want to know that you're- that you want this."

"I've wanted it since we first met. Haven't you?"

"I wasn't sure, not at first. Not for a long while. But now? I'm sure now, yeah."

Kari sprang onto Wyn, pressing him down to the bed and locking lips in a burst of speed and swirling blue energy.

"Hey, hey - why don't we take our time? Kari? Let's slow down."

Kari held herself over him, gazing down at him. Her lips formed a small smile. "I don't do slow, you know that."

"For this? You kinda need to."

Kari sat up on Wyn, keeping her disappointment hidden. "If you insist."

"I really do insist. Just take your time and try to have fun - enjoy it."

* * *

"Here's a mission!" Iris was pointing to the screen. "It looks like the local police force of a southern city are looking to bust up a major human trafficking op, and they'd like the extra muscle of a full on huntsmen team."

Twenty year old Kari strode forward, reaching up to tap in their team name. She stepped away, turning away immediately.

"Oookay, I guess that's what we're doing," Iolanthe said, giving Kari an exasperated look.

"The team leader made her choice," Iris said, but she couldn't hide her disappointment.

Wyn caught Kari's eye, looking worried.

Kari gave him a little smile, and took the lead toward the landing pad, her cape flowing out behind her.

Her fist clenched at her side, hidden - like the growing rage inside her chest.

* * *

Kari sped through the halls, a swirl of glowing blue, slashing and impaling as she passed - slicing off limps and piercing hearts, cutting off heads.

She pulsed her Aura through a palm, blowing apart a new door.

A room with two dirty beds - two dirty figures strapped to them.

A third figure, standing, rising, aiming a handgun.

Kari twitched her blade, blocking the first shot and lunging forward, into striking range; a sweep of her sword and their head was separated from their body.

She gazed on the scared captives. Kids. A boy, maybe ten, and a girl, perhaps thirteen or fourteen. She moved slowly, sliding her blade between the straps and cutting them free. "I'm a huntress; I'm here to save you." she stated factually. "Stay close to me."

They did.

Kari strode the halls until she found her friends. The children were clutching to her cape, the boy nearly hanging off of it.

"You didn't have to kill them all," Iris said immediately, looking a bit sick. "This is- look at this shit! It's just... _limbs._ Littered. Limbs."

"I was being thorough," Kari said simply.

* * *

Professor Ozpin strode before the assembled four in his office, gazing at them with pride. "Your team has been exemplary, Kari, and I couldn't be more proud of the good work you've accomplished in your four years at Beacon. It is for this reason, that I'd like to offer you all an even greater opportunity to protect humanity. From a threat you couldn't imagine."

"What's the threat?" Kari asked.

"An ancient, powerful being...that goes by the name...of Salem."

* * *

"You shouldn't go on this mission, Kari! Not how you are."

"I've been pregnant before," Kari said plainly. "And I'm not even that many weeks along - nothing that would hinder me in battle. It's a clump of cells right now. This is the best lead we've had on any of Salem's followers - we aren't passing this up."

Wyn looked pained. He sighed, nodding all the same. He forced a grin. "Okay, okay - yeah, if that's your choice. I- I'll respect it."

"Thank you. You always have, and I love that you have," Kari replied, stepping forward and pressing a kiss. "No one else did before you, and I can't ever express how grateful I am for that. I can't express...how much I love _you_."

Wyn kissed her back. "You sure keep trying at it..."

* * *

Twenty-one year old Kari twisted her wrists, twirling her blade and body about in dance of ferocity, catching and deflecting the scorpion faunus' tail.

She threw a punch that caught the man in the face, sending him skidding back across the ground.

Tyrian Callows, noted serial killer, liked to be up close and personal when he fought - and killed.

Kari preferred the opposite, and that made their fight a difficult one, from both sides.

Wyn, Iris and Iolanthe were leaping and blasting at the large, Dust-infused man, Hazel Rainart. It was taking all three of them just to match the monster of a man.

Team KIWI lost the battle, Auras gone...and knocked out. Their first major battle after graduating Beacon.

And too late, as Kari drifted away on familiar drugs, did she realize that this was always the plan.

 _Bait. Lure._ _Capture._

* * *

Kari woke in a dark room lit by glowing purple crystals, and candles.

She was hanging from chains - so were her teammates beside her.

_Don't show emotion; don't show weakness. Give them nothing. Don't flinch, don't yell, don't snap. Give. Them. Nothing. No satisfaction. They'll hurt you anyway; they always do._

The woman came gliding into the room, hands at her waist, head held high. Chalk white skin, black veins - scarlet eyes glistening like rubies in the candle light. White hair done up fashionably. A black gown and a cape of exquisite design. A black jewel on her forehead.

She stood gazing at them, looking nothing but curious - perhaps amused. That light smile on her lips suggested something along those lines.

"Hm. So, this is the fabled Team KIWI, is it? Ozpin's latest batch of guardians. My, he does seem to go through them quite quickly..." The woman mused to herself. "The last that was sent against me was left shattered, broken and lost - let's see whether or not you four are any more resilient than them."

"You can't scare us, Salem," Kari spoke, loud, and toneless. "We all know how you operate. But when you can't use your usual tactics anymore, you become ineffective, yourself."

"Is that so?" Salem's chin raised. A hand came up, poised. She regarded Kari silently, stepping smoothly in front of her. "You certainly seem confident. Resolute. Strong. The perfect picture of a huntress. But I know it's only a façade - one that I can break, to reveal all the fears and doubts squirming inside you..."

Kari met Salem's gaze, unblinking and unchanging.

"Perhaps I should reveal _what else_ is...squirming inside you." Salem's hand came to her mouth, and a small chuckle escaped. She turned and gazed down the line of huntsmen. "I take it from your expressions that you don't know. At least, the two of you don't." She gestured absently to Iris and Iolanthe. Then, her eyes found Wyn. "Judging by yours...is _it_ yours? Yours, and hers?"

"I'll fucking kill you if you-"

"So it is, then," Salem cut across leisurely, turning back to Kari. Her lips spread into a warm smile. She clasped her hands together at her chest. "Congratulations - although, I would think Ozpin would frown on inter-team relationships of this nature if he knew. It creates all kinds of little problems - and vulnerabilities that the enemy can exploit. Your lover's protectiveness over you, your own biological instincts, the mother's desire to safeguard the life of her child...It's quite the wonderful piece of leverage you've handed right over to me here."

"That's assuming I care," Kari said, in the most bored voice she could muster. "I've been pregnant before; it's not a miracle of life to me. It's a disgusting, nasty, horrible process that I did my best to get over with, time and time again in my life. This time isn't different. And if I want to, I can always have another one. You have no leverage, Salem, because your assessment starts with a faulty premise." A slight smile came to her lips. "Not a good look for someone who wants to appear all-powerful and terrifying."

Salem's hands parted, a dark ball of energy formed, and multicolored strands of magical energy connected with Kari's stomach.

Kari did her best not to scream, but some things you couldn't help.

"You could have another," Salem agreed, lowering her hands. She turned, and nodded to Wyn. "But could you have another with _him_? As much as you deny it, this one _is_ special - because it's both of yours. A child born of love, whereas before, I'm sure, the others came about as a result of quite different circumstances."

* * *

Months on, with her team torn apart and gone from her future forever, Salem came to Kari in her small cell again.

"Pledge yourself to serve me, and I'll allow you and your child to live. It can be born, healthy and happy, into this world. Or...you can keep holding out on me, and both of you can die the same as your teammates have. I'm certain your lover wouldn't want to see you throw away both your lives like that, just to spite me. It would be rather pointless, and cruel to the child, wouldn't you agree? It can cry, at this stage of things. It can know the world. It can know pain. Imagine, eight long months of developing, only to be torn out of its mothers womb and devoured by monsters. And that agonizing end is the one you want to cause for it? Solely so you can die afterward, yourself, saying that you gave me nothing? Will that really be much of a comfort after you've watched your child die due to your actions? Heard its ringing screams in your ears?"

"Ozpin...will save me...Glynda will find me...Ironwood will...come for me."

"Oh, so it's the hope of rescue, is it?" Salem shook her head pityingly. "They're not coming for you, dear. No one is coming for you. Don't you think if they were, they would have done it by now? It's been months upon months, and not a whisper or a sign. Your only salvation, your child's only salvation, is going to be through me - not Ozpin. All I need from you...is for you to give up on the idea, and say you'll serve me. That's all there is to it; it's so _simple_. I won't even have you doing anything different from what you have been; just think of it as swapping employers. Ozpin, for myself. Can't you do it? For...hmm, _her_ or _him_ , do you think?"

Kari remained silent.

"Well...we'll give it another month. If, after the birth, you're still set on this selfish, stubborn course of action...then the first thing I am going to do after it's out, is throw it to the nearest beowolf without letting you get so much as a glimpse of it. But you'll certainly hear it..."

* * *

Ozpin wasn't coming for her. For either of them.

He'd sent them to Salem, and he'd _left them with her_.

Left Kari to starve, to be tortured, to watch them _die_ and _hear them_...

And he'd left the only thing of Wyn that Kari had left...in this hell as well.

The only one to care, the only one to love, the only one she had loved...

And now he was gone, and this was all she had left of him.

All she had left of that love, that care, the only physical proof of those memories...of a seventeen year old boy who had risked his life on the off chance that a girl was in danger...

Those violent feelings inside her abdomen came again.

_Ozpin had left her child in hell._

Why?! After all those years, after everything he'd ever told her? After how much he'd smiled at her, said he cared, wanted to see her succeed, that he was _proud of her_...

How could he just do this to her now? To her _child_?! They were innocent, they were... _Why?_

After Kari had done so much, time and again, to protect innocent lives, to save people, to be a good huntress...after all that, the greatest huntsman of them all was abandoning her? All of them were abandoning her?!

None of them cared. Maybe they had never cared. Maybe he had never cared.

Just lies and false praise to get their weapons, their soldiers in line. Ready to be thrown to the grimm, and to Salem - an immortal, unbeatable enemy. And Ozpin _knew it_. From the very start...he knew.

And he did it anyway.

The door opened. "Your answer?" came the voice, as patient and calm as ever. Repeated every day now.

Every day prior, Kari had always responded with silence.

Today, she spoke.

"Yes."

Salem gave a warm smile. "Wonderful."

* * *

_"Kari: we're here now," Ozpin's voice came clearly._

The elevator doors opened, and light spilled in from the vault.

Kari blinked against it, the memories washing away in face of the light of the present. She readjusted her grasp on the illusion disguised Neopolitan's neck. She could have used an actual, random girl...but she had no desire to put a child through this experience. And, from a more practical standpoint, it was simply better to have as many aspects of the situation under her control as possible, with a skilled and obedient young woman in on the plan from the start.

Kari followed Ozpin through the vault, until they reached the end.

A large machine stood, with two different pods - one of which was already occupied.

Kari strode for the pod, placing herself an inch from the glass.

The young woman within breathed easy, but she wasn't moving - or awake.

Kari placed her hand on the glass, gazing at the woman's face. "I'm sorry..." she whispered. She glanced at Ozpin. "What sort of condition is she in? Is this because the transfer was interrupted?"

Ozpin sighed. "I wasn't there, Kari; I wouldn't know much more than you. But, yes, from what Qrow told me, your failed attempt at stealing Amber's powers from her caused her to go into a deep coma. It's uncertain when she'll even wake."

"This was never the result I wanted; I was going to take her power, and let her go free after - without her powers, she would have been a threat to no one. Let alone Salem." Kari narrowed her eyes at Ozpin. "If Qrow Branwen hadn't come swinging in with a sword while I was in the middle of a delicate, never before attempted procedure, Amber would be fine right now! How did he know that it wouldn't _kill her_ to cut that connection? What if it had killed both of us? Or was that another loss you told him was acceptable?"

"Valid points - ones I brought up to him myself, I assure you," Ozpin said quietly. "He acted rashly, and very dangerously. But that was then, and this is now. Tell me, Kari: what is it you intend to do now, right here?"

"I'll take the rest of the powers," Kari stated, clenching her hand into a fist against the glass. "Either she stays how she is, or the shock to her system will rouse her. Either way...she will be powerless, and I will be able to leave with what I came for - nothing more. And Salem will have no more reason to trouble her."

Ozpin gazed at her sadly. "You still have the heart of a huntress - one of the greatest I have ever known. One I was the most proud-"

Kari whipped her sword up, resting it against his neck without even looking. " _Don't,_ " she said tightly. " _You left me, you left us all to her; you left...him...to her._ "

"I- I-I'm sorry. Especially for you and Wyn- it was _never_ my intention to set any of you up to-"

"I wasn't talking about Wyn." Kari dragged her sword along his neck, lowering it, leaving a trail of blood behind. Her hand lowered from the glass, fingers uncurled, and palm was placed briefly over abdomen.

Ozpin followed the motion. "Oh, Kari..."

"Stand back - don't move. Or I'll kill this girl. I might even kill Amber, after I'm finished with her. And who knows? I might kill you, too." Kari threw a sidelong look, and a smile Ozpin's way. "After all, you'll come back."

Ozpin bowed his head, stepping away. "I'm so sorry."

"For more than a year now, I've wished I could hear those words out of your mouth. I hear them now...and I don't believe them. So save your breath."

Kari rammed her blade into the seal of the pod, and pulsed her Aura to crack it open; she grasped the door and pulled it the rest of the way open. She reached in, touching Amber's scarred face. She caressed, she held. "Don't try and interrupt us; you know what happened last time."

"I know - I assure you, I won't make a move."

Kari blew a breath, stepping back and raising her hand, palm out. She focused her emotions, her intentions, bringing the monster inside her to the surface.

The swirling red portal appeared, and the grimm beetle emerged out of her.

The transfer process began again.

And it finished.

Amber gasped, her eyes fluttering, then opening wide. Fixing on Kari's visage.

The grimm broke the connection, and burrowed once more into Kari's body.

"I just came to get the rest of what I need," Kari said softly, stepping away. She reached into herself for the power she now felt, like a raging volcano. Incredible, dangerous, powerful. Her eyes burst with blue flames, energy rings began to swirl around her, and she lifted up from the floor to hover, effortless. She touched down again, letting it all fade away. Power was never her interest. Only what it could help her _do_. She met Amber's frightened gaze. "I hope you have a long and peaceful life."

"What you're searching for next, I can't give to you," Ozpin said quietly. "The Beacon Relic...was hidden in a way far different from the others."

"Then undo it, and give it to me," Kari responded simply, flashing her blade across Neopolitan's throat. "We can stay down here as long as it takes."

"Kari, please - any Relic but this one. It is the most powerful, the most dangerous in her hands! You have the Maiden powers, she will be satisfied with that - return to her, tell her I escaped, tell her we fought and you had to kill me. But please...just let this one go."

"So you'll let more innocent people die for your mission," Kari remarked, pressing her blade against Neo's flesh. "When it comes down to it, I always knew what kind of man you were. You'll sacrifice and let everyone else die but _you_! Because you've judged your mission to be more important than _all our lives_."

"My mission is what is ensuring anyone even _has_ a life!" Ozpin said firmly. "Kari...you're right about the kind of man I am. There is something else I've kept from you, something Salem is keeping from you. Her true goal in this world. It is not to tear down the current systems of government, and build a new kingdom. It is merely to _die_. To see the end of it all. All of Remnant. This planet, Kari. If she brings all four Relics together...the Gods will return, and she hopes to put us in a position where they will judge us unworthy, and wipe our planet off the face of the universe. That is _why_ she works so hard to divide us, to cause chaos! Her end goal is oblivion. For all of us, and for herself. To end her curse, or so she hopes. Of course, the last time the Gods wiped out all humanity, they left her alive to suffer endless millennia alone on this planet. Do you not believe the Gods would do the same thing again?"

"How can I know you aren't lying to me _again_?"

"There is a way. Another Relic." Ozpin said softly. "Go to Haven. The Relic of Knowledge. Say the name Jinn to summon her. And ask her yourself. Ask her...what Salem's true goal is in life. There are two questions you can ask - the last one, I'd urge you to use as well, simply to deprive Salem of the Relic's functions."

"I need the Spring Maiden for that," Kari said slowly. "Where is she?"

"The last that we had heard...she had run off, afraid of her powers."

"How convenient."

"Kari...please...I beg you. Just- leave. Leave with the Maiden powers. Tell Salem...we fought. And you killed me. That I wouldn't give up the location."

The elevator whined again, and it dinged.

The doors opened, and several figures spilled out.

Kari whirled, pressing her blade to Neo's throat, flaring her eyes with burning blue flames. "All of you, stay back!"

Glynda, Oobleck, Port, Ironwood.

"Let Kari pass!" Ozpin shouted to them. "Kari - leave, just _leave_ , please. Leave with what you have!"

Kari gazed into his eyes for an eternal moment, emotions swirling in her. Her face twitched. She sighed as moronic desperation won out over all else. The desperation of a girl. "I'll leave. I'll find the truth for myself. But, if I discover that you're lying to me, one last time...I'm going to make every single one of you regret this second chance."

"Thank you, Kari..."

"I'll let this girl go once I'm at the top," Kari spoke, flat. She turned her eyes on the ones blocking the elevator. "Move."

"Let Kari go," Ozpin said firmly. "Please."

It was a sign of their overwhelming faith and trust in Ozpin that they listened; they parted, and Kari strode between them, keeping Neo in front of her at blade-point.

Kari backed up into the elevator, and pressed the button to return to ground level.

She met Ozpin's gaze one last time before the doors closed, and spoke, swift and quiet. "A seventeen year old boy who could barely hold a knife was able to save me once; why couldn't you? Ozpin The Wizard - Ozpin The Great And Powerful?"

The doors closed, plunging Kari...once more...into the dark confines of a box.

A breath escaped, and her hand trembled on her sword's hilt.

When the elevator reached the top, and those doors opened again, Kari took a deep, relieved breath.

Which was immediately stolen from her by the sight that awaited her.

Dark hair, twin swords, and burning amber eyes that promised nothing short of murder.

Cinder.

Kari blinked at the teenager, and for a brief moment found herself _not_ seeing the seventeen year old before her, but the ten year old sniffling as she scrubbed at the floors...

Cinder wasted no time at all in lunging for her, blades swinging, a mighty snarl escaping her lips.

Kari reached for the full breadth of Maiden magic now available to her, and erupted with a gust of wind; the wind caught Cinder up and swept her away, slamming her against a wall.

Kari strode past Cinder, dragging Neo with her by an arm, all the while _pressing_ to Cinder with that magical wind: pinning her absolutely.

Cinder screamed and raged at her, she even tried to blast flames at Kari - but none of it got more than a few feet away from the wall before being sucked back against it.

Kari stepped out of the tower, and a familiar shield came flying at her like a frisbee. She slashed her sword and reflected it into the sky; it curved and soared around to regroup with its owner. Pyrrha Nikos.

Kari raised a hand, and sent a gust of wind at the girl, sending her tumbling and flipping through the air, dozens of feet across the courtyard.

Then she tilted her head skyward, reaffirmed her grip on Neo, and erupted blue flames from her boots.

They soared into the sky together, far out of reach of the fledgling huntresses below.

Kari set her eyes on Vale, and flew through the night.

A glance down at Neo showed very real terror on the young woman's face now.

* * *

In the middle of downtown Vale, on quite a normal, sunny day, Ozpin stood with two others, addressing a gathered crowd of onlookers, civilians, and the media.

"Late last night, a dangerous terrorist attack was launched against Beacon. A band of criminals, led by a woman more dangerous than all the rest combined - yes, even more so than the identified, notorious crime boss, Roman Torchwick - former huntress prodigy, Kari Silvers," Ozpin spoke into the cameras. "These last several months, Ms. Silvers has been active around and inside of our kingdom. Our very city. And, last night...our school that she once called a home. But it is clear she no longer sees it as such. And thus, she is to be considered a great threat to all huntsmen."

"But this attack, was stopped by two other young huntresses - two prodigies in their own rights. Two of our first year students. One of whom you may already know, and the other...well, not yet - but I'm certain this kingdom will come to know her name over the years ahead. It was these two talented, courageous young women who took it upon themselves to defend their school, and to rescue their captive classmates, and captive teachers - and succeeded beyond all expectation. This is exactly the kind of bravery, initiative, and selfless compassion that I hope every aspiring young huntsmen can look to as an example to follow. I would now like to introduce to you all these two young huntresses: Pyrrha Nikos, and Cinder Aryle."

* * *

In the grungy streets of Mantle, a nineteen year old girl wandered aimlessly.

She paused as the screen changed, and a live feed began showing. She brushed dirty blonde hair behind an ear, wiped grime and dirt from her eyes.

The text said it was coming in from Vale.

There was a teenage girl on the screen, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, speaking into a camera very animatedly - waving a hand and smiling widely.

"...was nothing to think about. I had to help my friends. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"I see. That's quite remarkable of you, Cinder - can I call you Cinder?"

 _No..._ the blonde girl gasped in her mind, taking unconscious steps forward. _Is it actually her? My- my Cinder?_

The girl on the screen brushed a hand through dark hair, pushing loose threads out of her eyes. Eyes revealed to be a particular shade of amber, almost glowing. Familiar eyes. "Of course, ma'am."

"Alright, now, Cinder, is there anything you want to say to the world right now? To all those out there watching you from across Remnant?"

The girl on the screen faltered, looking uncertain. Nervous, even. She shifted where she stood, her hand going to her arm without her seeming to realize. Her head bowed. "I...I...like what?"

"Well, maybe something - inspiring? Something positive? A good message for other huntsmen, or for people?"

There was a lengthy silence. Then, the girl nodded, and her head came up at last. Her face was full of confidence again. Her hand fell from her arm. She looked directly into the camera. A certain smile was on her lips again, but it didn't look innocent or happy. It looked...

"Well, I guess I have one message in mind - for those currently in Atlas." Cinder's voice was tight, with some barely contained emotion. "If I could speak, ma'am?"

"Of course. This is your time to shine. Say anything you like!"

Cinder's odd smile grew. "Okay, then. My message to the people of Atlas...is to those being _oppressed in Atlas_. And it's _this_ : No matter how much people in your life might want to...beat you down, kick at you, humiliate and degrade you...treat you like you're a dog on a shock collar, or even less than dirt - like you're _nothing_ \- if you're _strong_ , and you _want it enough_ , then you _can_ escape it, and you _can_ rise above it. Whether you have a cruel Madame, or nasty stepsisters, telling you every day that- t-that no one loves you, and that you're worth n-nothing to anyone, or...or even whether you're from an orphanage in Mistral... _if you want it, you can be everything you want to be._ And nothing they say, nothing they _do_ , is _ever_ going to be enough to stop you! Even if...even if you're just a lowly s-servant girl, you can be _happy_ , you can be _free_ , you can find _love_ , and you can even become one of the greatest huntresses on Remnant!"

"It..." The girl shook her head, reaching up to grasp wind whipping strands of hair. "It isn't _easy_ , it isn't _simple_ , and you might not be able to do it without _help_...but there are plenty of people in this world who can be there for you if you need it. Someone to see you, someone to step in, someone to lift you up with them. To help you break away! Give you hope, give you a bit of happiness, and give you the boost you need to get to your goal. Or even...to make you realize what goal you want in the first place, if you never had one. Never _had_ a hope. People like this, they take risks, they take the chance, and they make a change in your life. They're..." Cinder smiled, a soft, real one, plain to see. "they're wonderful, and amazing, and _the best._ And after they have stepped in for you...you can run with it, and make all the changes _you_ like going forward in your life. _Because it's your life._ And you can _always_ fight to make your life better - and even succeed!"

The girl looked down, her hands lifting to toy with her thick scarf wrapped around her neck. When her head came up again, her eyes were blazing, determined. Her fingers grasped the scarf, and tugged it away. Her chin raised, and light spilled onto her neck. Her throat, where visible burn scars in the shape of a necklace were imprinted onto her skin. " _This_ servant girl would know! Because she's done it, and she's doing it _right now_."

The blonde girl fell back in the street, gaping at the screen. Horror and shame welled in her soul. _It's her, it's Cinder. It's my Cinder. It's my...my stepsister._


	17. The Slaves Of Atlas Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DADDY RHODES AT LAST! <3 :) :) <3 That is all!

"Hey, you've got that?"

"I've got it - don't worry about it. You should get inside, warm up. Solitas' cold is deadly, even this time of year."

"Hah; still can't believe you can carry all that yourself. Perks of being a huntsman, eh?"

Rhodes shifted the heavy crates stacked in his arms, nodding to the other man in town square. He flashed a grin. "Yeah. Perks of being a huntsman."

"That's not _the_ _only perk_ , though, is it?" The man grinned back, giving a sweeping look - then a wink.

Rhodes laughed, shaking his head. "We'll see." _You're a cute one, no doubt about it, but..._

"Alright, well, I'm heading in. Thanks." The man rubbed his gloved hands together and headed off down the street.

Rhodes heaved a breath, shaking his head again, and resumed his careful pace through the deep snow, his boots being swallowed up with every step. In his opinion, he was getting a bit too old for this - the heavy lifting, and the seemingly ever-present admirers of the strong huntsman always making his rounds. He'd stopped indulging them a while ago. Not completely, but, still much less frequently. He supposed it was as his parents said: you got to the age where what you wanted was to just stay put. And stay put with someone else. He'd often told them he wouldn't ever get that way - that the job, the adventuring, was never going to get old for him. But here it was, starting to.

 _It's because I'm getting old,_ he thought ruefully, with a chuckle. _Guess there's no helping it, is there?_

He made it to the open workshop, and tapped the button to bring down the Hard Light shield; he quickly crossed over, and smacked a fist to the button on the inside to bring them back up again. Rhodes set the crates down carefully in a corner. He straightened up, dusting off his gloves.

He blew a breath, ran his hand through his hair, pushing it back from his face. He went and grabbed a drink, and sat himself down in front of a holo-television, leaning back and putting his legs up on a low table. It was about time for a break, he decided. Fighting off those packs of Sabyr Grimm the past few days hadn't helped him, either; they were smart, fast, and he...just wasn't as fast as before. Basic fact. And he was still just one huntsman.

And one huntsman couldn't do much in the world (not that he'd ever stop trying). There had been a lot that he'd tried his hand at, as a lone huntsman. Things he felt he'd just had to try.

Because even still, every little deed helped.

It helped a single _person_. Maybe one huntsman couldn't change the world...but he could change things for people on an individual level.

And that was enough for Rhodes, to know he was doing that good.

That was why, seven years ago now, he'd taken the chance on a girl he'd found in a...being brutally honest: a fucked up situation. A common situation, in Atlas. The first time he'd even laid eyes on the kid, she'd taken his heart - and his time. Because she needed the help, and...because she'd needed an intervention. Rhodes had seen it, knew it, the moment he realized his sword had been stolen. What she'd planned, in utter desperation, and the morals-free mind of a child, underdeveloped as it was. And he'd stepped in for her, hoping she'd take the chance, the path he was opening for her.

And she had.

So he'd returned, again and again, giving her what little comfort, hope, and affection he could offer. He'd never been anyone's father, never been cut out for it, in his opinion...but he'd done his best for her. Done his best in a system that wouldn't have let her go, would have spelled the end of not just her life, but his own. Every part of him had wanted to just do it, just pick her up and run away with her! Every time he was away, every time he'd gone to sleep...he'd see her face, he'd dream of that. Just going for it. But he knew he couldn't. It would have caused more problems that it would solve, for both of them.

So he'd done what he could, within the limits of the world they lived in. The system they lived under.

Rhodes wasn't under any illusions that it had done the girl any benefit; she'd suffered, and suffered for seven more years, because of his decision.

She'd nearly broken, several times over, too. Two separate nights, years apart, Rhodes had come to her and sat with her while she cried and screamed into his chest. And again...he'd just wanted to sweep her up and run with her.

But he never had.

And it still troubled him to this day. If that choice really had been the best, if he couldn't have just risked it all anyways, for her. If he shouldn't have just...

But they would have both been fugitives, and Atlas was damn _cold_ to fugitives!

And the girl would have been dragged back again, and treated a hundred times worse for it.

And Rhodes would have been locked away, unable to ever help her again.

He sighed, rubbing at his forehead and focusing on the TV screen. He flipped randomly through channels. All his regrets about _her_ were responsible for most of his aging problems, he swore it...

Even if she had, in the end, succeeded; even if _he_ had succeeded with her, in the end.

It had been a long, terrible journey to get there, and one that no little girl should ever have to be forced to suck up and make. But she _had_.

And Rhodes was so relieved that she had made it through: it terrified him to imagine just how badly it all could have gone otherwise. A damaged, floundering girl in freefall unleashed on the world - possibly with huntsman training. What would she have even _done_ , after killing them? And the possibility he didn't want to think about...that she could have even killed _him_. In their later sparring matches, she'd started beating him, every two out of three. She could have done it, he thought. She'd almost broken _twice_ , and, those two times, if he couldn't have gotten through to her...or _if he_ _hadn't been there for her,_ been there to hold her in his arms and listen to her cry...she probably would have even killed him without hesitating (not much, anyway).

He shook his head, glad to not have to ever find out. That was all hypothetical, and worst case scenarios.

The reality was something he could breathe easy about - and be proud of.

"...Even if you're just a lowly s-servant girl, you can be _happy_ , you can be _free_ , you can find _love_ , and you can even become one of the greatest huntresses on Remnant!"

Rhodes spat his drink out all over the table, jolting upright. He leaned forward, staring hard at the familiar, amber-eyed girl on the broadcast, brimming with fiery passion.

"It isn't _easy_ , it isn't _simple_ , and you might not be able to do it without _help_...but there are plenty of people in this world who can be there for you if you need it. Someone to see you, someone to step in, someone to lift you up with them. To help you break away! Give you hope, give you a bit of happiness, and give you the boost you need to get to your goal. Or even...to make you realize what goal you want in the first place, if you never had one. Never _had_ a hope. People like this, they take risks, they take the chance, and they make a change in your life. They're..." Cinder smiled, a soft one - the kind that always shamed and warmed his soul. "they're wonderful, and amazing, and _the best._ And after they have stepped in for you...you can run with it, and make all the changes _you_ like going forward in your life. _Because it's your life._ And you can _always_ fight to make your life better - and even succeed!"

Cinder pulled that recognizable scarf free of her throat, exposing burn scars to the entire world. " _This_ servant girl would know! Because she's done it, and she's doing it _right now_."

Rhodes set his drink down, eyes never leaving the screen, fumbling. His face held a great smile.

_Annnd just got a whole lot prouder._

* * *

Cinder pushed the boy into the wall of the spacious storage closet and pressed herself to him, a wide smile on her face.

She caressed his face and pressed a kiss, pushing her tongue into his mouth.

It was really remarkable just how many of the other students were just _waiting_ for her to grant their desires for sex with her - all she had to do was approach them, as she did, and tell them she'd give it to them. An agreed upon date, or, sometimes just an immediate retreat together to a secluded location, and it was _happening!_ Glorious, pleasurable, wonderful.

And then there were the repeat customers, as it were; she had a favorite or two she liked coming back to - had an agreement with for long term interactions.

A month after the dance, and this boy was her twelfth _new_ sexual conquest (she'd had more boys than girls, sadly; she preferred girls, by far!). But boys were still plenty enjoyable to please herself with.

After they had prepared themselves, Cinder directed the boy to the floor and mounted him, bending low over his body. Naked flesh to naked flesh.

"Are you ready for this?" she breathed in his ear, grinding herself along him - but not committing to a thing. Not yet.

"Yeah..."

"Then where's your protection? I don't see it."

"I- uhm...didn't bring any..."

"Grrrrr. Why didn't you mention this _before_ we got this far?!" Cinder sat up instantly, and then she stood up and whirled away, stalking off for the far side of the storage closet. She snatched up her undergarments and began pulling them on. _Useless, stupid, idiot waste of my time...not even smart enough to plan ahead - or maybe, he thinks he doesn't have to. Like I'm going to be the idiot to catch a disease - or pregnancy!_ She shot a glare at him over a shoulder as she began putting on her uniform.

He gathered up his own clothes, looking upset with her. With _her_! "H-hey, we could still do it- it's not like it's guaranteed you'd-"

Cinder barked an ugly laugh, rolling up her leggings and stepping into her skirt. "Sorry, but no protection means no entry," she snapped out. "Get over it, and get out."

"Then what about your-"

"You think I'd waste my time working up to giving you _that_? After this display of idiocy?" Cinder shook her head. "So sorry, but you're really not worth the effort," she went on, with false sympathies and a mocking smile.

"You don't have to be a total bitch about everything!"

"I'm being a bitch?!" Cinder whirled, furiously doing up the buttons on her blouse and pulling her jacket on. She stalked up to the boy, pushing her face into his. "I'm being a _bitch_ because I don't want to end up catching whatever disgusting plague you have in that stick of yours? I'm being a _bitch_ because I'd rather not start with the whole entire process of _birthing another human being_ for the chance at being penetrated by a stupid boy who _forgot one of the most important parts of any encounter?!_ I'm _being a bitch_ for actually considering things like health and safety? If _that's_ what a bitch is, then I'll be the biggest bitch of them all, thank you."

He took a step forward, glaring back at her. "God, what would the harm even be in just-!"

Cinder flashed out a hand, her uniform lighting up amber. Flames shrouded in her palm. "What's the _harm?_ Heh, well, you tell me..." she said sweetly. She clenched her fist, extinguishing the flames; she turned on a heel and stalked out of the closet, slamming the door behind her for good measure.

 _Idiot, idiot, idiot!_ _How hard is it to just follow safety rules? How hard is it to be health conscious? How hard is it to just bring a fucking..._

Cinder fumed all the way back to her dorm room. She kicked the door in, then kicked it back closed again. She felt like kicking things today.

"Cinder, are you alright?" Pyrrha said, immediately concerned.

"Just _fine_ ," Cinder hissed, stalking to her bed and throwing herself down on it.

Emerald and Blake weren't around; they were out in Vale, seeing a movie together (some romance/action flick - Cinder didn't care).

"This isn't fine - this is actually a lot more furious than I've seen you in a while now. What's going on?" Pyrrha asked.

Cinder sighed, burrowing under her blankets and rolling onto her stomach. She shoved her hand down her skirt and started growling and grunting into her pillow.

"C-Cinder, remember that team meeting we all had about how we should either do this in the shower, or when no one else is in the room with us?" Pyrrha said delicately, very pointedly turning her head away with flushed cheeks. "Remember, there's absolutely nothing wrong with pleasing yourself, but we shouldn't be doing it around-"

"Ugh, _fine_!" Cinder growled, threw herself onto her backside and kicked the blankets off again. She jumped to her feet and strode for the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her and put her back to it, attending to herself there furiously. Once finished, she opened it a lot more gently and walked back out again. She lay back on her bed, blowing out a markedly more relaxed breath.

Pyrrha came and sat on her bed. She lay a hand on Cinder's arm, giving her some absent little pats. Waiting in silence, and patience. "Would you like to tell me what's wrong now?"

"Sure," Cinder sighed. "It's nothing, really. Just an idiot boy being an idiot boy. I was _going_ to fuck him, but apparently somebody was too _stupid_ to consider the fact that I might not want to get pregnant _or_ stuck with some filthy disease!"

"Ah...you mean he didn't have any protection?"

"Right."

"Did you?"

Cinder froze. "Well...no; I ran out last week, and I haven't gone to the campus health center again yet."

"You- ran out...?" Pyrrha's eyebrows raised. Her blush intensified. There was a long pause, and then she burst into laughter. "Cinder - oh my goodness, how many times have you...?"

Cinder sat up, turning her head away. "Enough to run out, apparently," she muttered.

"W-well- I'm very- happy for you. It's good that you're...really enjoying yourself in life lately! And I am very, very happy that you're taking the health side of things so seriously!" Pyrrha added quickly, patting her arm some more. "But...it is a responsibility _both_ partners should share. If you didn't have any either, then you can't really put all the blame on the boy, can you?"

Cinder growled incoherently to herself.

"Can you...?" Pyrrha pressed.

"No - fine. I guess not," Cinder bit out. "Happy?"

"Yes," Pyrrha said simply. She smiled. "Why don't you go and take care of the problem sometime? Today, tomorrow, or whenever you like."

"Okay..."

Pyrrha hugged her. "Good! Now, was that all?"

"Yes." Cinder sighed again.

"Feel better now?"

Cinder smiled. "Yes. Thanks."

"I'm always here for you."

* * *

"So, is your goal just to fuck everyone in the entire school?"

"Yes - not that it's any of your business," Cinder retorted, with utter condescension.

"You're already getting a reputation as the academy slut, you know - not my words!"

"An insult thrown at me by people who are jealous of my accomplishments - and probably that they don't get to be a part of it," Cinder said idly, smirking. "Pyrrha's already told me it's healthy and good to enjoy bodily pleasures - no matter what anyone tries to say to shame me on it. I won't be shamed, trust me; I don't care what a bunch of idiots think."

"Hey, I'm not one of them, girl: I say more power to you," Yang said quickly, grinning. "I'm just saying, though...it might get a bit- uh- dicey for you soon."

"Vale isn't supposed to _judge_ ," Cinder replied. "Spare me, please - this isn't Atlas. Or Mistral, either."

Yang's eyes flickered to Cinder's throat. To the scarf she still wore, mostly out of pure habit and comfort. But she didn't ask about it - surprisingly, not many students had (though, the teachers had; Ozpin, Cinder, and all of them had had a lengthy _meeting_ after her speech). "Y-yeah...I know, I know that. So do most people. But there are still going to be a few who don't see it that way. Who aren't so- open minded as they should be. And who like getting in other people's business."

"If people want to get in my business, they'll get a fireball to the face for their troubles."

"I can believe it," Yang laughed. "I just wanted to- warn you. You know. Trying to be helpful."

Cinder looked at her, and gave a warm smile. "Thank you. But I can handle it."

"Hey, no doubts here. Keep being you. Don't let anyone change that." Yang lightly socked her fist to Cinder's shoulder.

Cinder snarled, cringing - then, she relaxed. She forced another smile. "I won't. Thanks."

"You know, you still owe me another dance."

"Oh, I owe you, do I?"

"It's been a while since our last. I wouldn't mind seeing how you've improved. Have you been practicing?"

Cinder nodded. "Yes, I have been."

"Want to dance, then?"

Cinder thought about it. "Give it a week."

"Alright! Looking forward to it!"

"Y-yes...same here." Cinder said honestly, smiling. Losing aside, it _had_ been pretty fun last time. She paused, eyeing Yang up and down. "So, how about you? If you'd ever like to-" she started silkily.

"No thanks!" Yang exclaimed, waving her hands and backing away, her cheeks flushed. "I mean, damn, I'm _flattered_ , but- but you know, despite what everyone wants to say about _me_ , _I'm not_ that kind of girl!"

"Not into girls?"

Yang gave a small grin. "I never said _that_. Just...you're not my type. Sorry!"

"Fine..." Cinder murmured, ducking her head. "It would have been nice to play with those..." she mourned, absently pointing a finger.

Yang glanced down at herself, jaw dropped. Then she was laughing _hard_. Doubled over, a hand over her stomach! "Holy hell, whatever anybody says about _you_ , damn if you don't have guts! And at least you know what you want! Wow, thanks for that outstanding compliment! You know what? You just made my whole day! Seriously: _wow_."

Cinder eyed the girl. She grinned. "You're welcome," she said, sincere.

"Yang! Come on: we need to finish Port's homework," Weiss Schnee called from a nearby library table, very firmly. "Stop _talking to her_."

Cinder fixed an unrelenting stare on the girl across the distance, and fixed a smirk on her face. "Hey - Schnee."

"What?" Weiss huffed, meeting her gaze.

"Saved your life."

"Ugh! Stop _saying that!_ " Wiess crossed her arms and looked away. "A-and, _please_ , any one of us could have done the same; there's hardly anything special in winning against two bit criminals!"

"I don't know...I mean, I didn't _see_ any of you out there while I was rescuing you all...But maybe I'm wrong."

"Insufferable ingrate," Weiss snapped, turning her back to Cinder in further resolution.

"Calling me ungrateful now - what for?" Cinder shot back.

"For- for getting into Beacon and treating it like your personal playground!" Weiss exclaimed. "And for treating _everyone in it_ the same way! You think you can just- just- oh, you know what you do!"

"I do," Cinder grinned. "And you're just so, so frustrated that you don't."

Yang chortled, gave Cinder an irritating pat on the shoulder, and then went back to her team - where she _tried_ to divert Weiss's attention.

Cinder let her, satisfied with herself, and got back to her book in peace.

* * *

As Cinder was making her way around campus, taking in the sun and enjoying herself, she ran smack into someone.

Someone she had ran right into before in life.

"Cinder!"

Cinder drew back, staring. "Penny?!"

"Oh, it's so wonderful to see you again! It has been many, many weeks now!" Penny exclaimed, practically jumping for joy.

"It has," Cinder agreed, smiling. "Where have you been?"

"On the Atlas air fleet," Penny said brightly, turning and pointing up into the sky. "Since that former huntress, Kari Silvers, attacked us, I've been staying where it's safe!"

"I can't say the same," Cinder snorted.

Penny frowned, wringing her hands. "Oh yes, I heard all about it from General Ironwood; that dangerous woman attacked Beacon itself! Along with a band of criminals!" She paused. She smiled. "I also heard you and your teammate saved everyone!"

"We did." Cinder glowed. "Of course, I did most of the work! Want to hear about it?"

Penny stared. She blinked. She lunged forward and grabbed Cinder's arms! "Oh yes, please: you simply must give me all the details!"

Cinder blinked back. She smirked, brushing Penny off with absent hands. "Well, since you asked..."

After seating themselves at a nice table under a tree, Cinder began telling every detail of her heroic rescue to Penny.

Penny leaned across the table with elbows propped, chin in hand, gazing with utmost attention. And a cute smile on her face.

It was too cute not to comment on, really.

"You know, Penny...you're an extremely cute girl."

"Thank you! So are you!"

"You know what two extremely cute girls do when they're together...?"

"Paint our nails, and try on nice clothes, and talk about cute boys?!"

Cinder blinked. "No...well, usually, yes - but I'd rather talk about girls. And none of that is what I was getting at!"

"Oh, of course - I'm sorry! I didn't realize you had same-gender interests." Penny stared at her, mesmerized, like Cinder would stare at a new dress that caught her eye. "What is it about other girls that interests you?"

" _Well_ , I could tell you what interests me about _you_. Your hair, your eyes, those adorable freckles of yours...and the nose, too."

Penny gaped. Then, she turned away, hands flying up to her chest. "That is very- wonderful to hear - I never thought anyone would consider me...like that. Thank you. But..."

"Penny..."

"Yes?"

Cinder leaned over the table, cupped Penny's face in hand and turned it straight again. She caressed with a thumb. Then, she leaned in and kissed her. Soft, held for five long seconds. In which Penny's wide eyes blinked at her rapidly. Then, she sat back and let her hand fall. "Don't ever think that no one would consider you attractive. You're extremely attractive. You're cute, pretty, and...nice. Very nice."

Penny touched her lips, parted slightly. "T-thank you...that felt very wonderful. But it cannot happen again!" Penny was on her feet in an instant, then she was turning and running.

Cinder chased after her, abandoning her food.

"Penny - listen - I'm _sorry_ , if it upset you, if you're not gay, if you don't even like me, if I-"

Penny ran through the campus, her hands covering her head with total distress.

_Dammit, why do I screw things up?!_

Cinder burst with Aura, zipping after her, catching up to her, and grabbing her by the wrist.

Penny jerked to a sudden stop, her head whipping around with surprise. She was strong, though, surprisingly strong, and she pulled _Cinder_ over, right into herself. They fell together, a mess on the ground.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you!" Penny gasped, untangling herself and pushing herself to her knees. She grabbed Cinder's arms and helped her up, distraught. "I- I just meant to-"

"Meant to what?" Cinder snapped. "Why are you even running? What did I do wrong, or was it all wrong?!" She couldn't help getting angry. Angry because tears were welling up now.

"No, no, it wasn't you - it was a wonderful feeling, a very _good_ feeling, one I never dreamed I'd have - you did nothing wrong! I do like you, and I'm happy you like me! I would be very curious to explore another kind of relationship with you if I- if I could. But I can't!"

"Why _not_?" Cinder demanded. "Nothing's stopping you, as far as I can see."

"It- it- it's because you are only seeing the surface of me!" Penny burst out, balling up her fists and throwing her hands down.

"You mean your cyborg parts?" Cinder asked, confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"N-no...no, they-" Penny sighed, and her chin dropped to her chest. Her hands came together in her lap. "Cinder, I- I haven't told you the truth. I'm very sorry, but I lied to you when I told you that. I was just so scared, and you already thought- so I just...grabbed onto it."

"Why?" Cinder's throat was tight. She swiped at her eyes furiously. "Why would you lie to me like that? What are you afraid of?"

"It...it isn't just replacement parts because of an accident. It's...all that I am. I'm a...a synthetic person - a robot. The first one capable of generating an Aura. I'm...I'm _not_ a real girl."

"Of course you're real!" Cinder said fiercely, instantly. "You're right in front of me, aren't you?"

"I- no, that is not- I was built, by an Atlas scientific team, for the military," Penny finally said. "I'm not any more real than the other drones you've seen around Vale."

"That's just idiotic." Cinder reached out, and took the girl's hands. "You have pretty eyes, wonderful hair, and a great sense of fashion; you _are_ real - no matter what anyone else tries to tell you. Just because you were- born _different_ from most people doesn't mean you should be treated different! If you have a soul, if you feel, and think, then you're as alive as anyone, and that's what matters! If they tell you you're nothing, believe you're still something. If they say you're no one, believe you can be someone. Never listen to them, and definitely don't listen _just because they have power over you._ That doesn't make them right. Authority, control...it means _nothing_ except that they can do and say what they want with you. But it doesn't make it _true_. You're as real as me, Penny, and you're as _free as me_ to do what you want with _your own life!_ Never let anyone convince you otherwise. You don't have to be a slave!"

"That is wonderfully comforting - b-but I'm not a slave!" Penny exclaimed. "No, no, it's nothing like _that!_ It is just that I have a responsibility, a duty to the world, and I need to see it through...someday."

"And is there some reason why you can't do what you want in the meantime?" Cinder replied, very quiet.

"General Ironwood doesn't want me to-"

"Who?" Cinder squeezed Penny's hands.

"General Ironwood of the Atlas military. He has been ordering me to-"

"Is he the one who told you you weren't _real_? Is he why you aren't _free_?" Cinder gritted out, squeezing ever harder.

"I- no, he just- I have a purpose and I cannot get distracted by- _ow!_ " Penny pulled away from her, staring down at her hands. She looked up at Cinder. "You seem to have hurt me by accident. You seem very upset. But there is no reason to be-"

" _There is every reason to be! You have every reason to be!"_ Cinder hissed, standing. "Stay out here - hide somewhere. Don't let any of them find you! Don't listen to a word they say to you!" She turned with vibrating hands, quivering lips. She lifted her gaze to the tower in the middle of Beacon, and took off for it.

"Wait, where are you going?!" Penny called after her.

 _To make sure you can_ be _._

* * *

Ozpin sighed, sitting back in his chair and setting his coffee down as his computer terminal registered the elevator's activation.

"Well, it seems we need to cut this discussion short," he said to Ironwood and Glynda, nodding to the elevator.

Glynda crossed her arms, turning away. Ironwood stepped clear of the desk, allowing Ozpin a straight view on of the elevator.

_Beep...beep...beep...ding._

The elevator doors began to part, revealing a lone figure within, the interior bathed in an amber glow of light - a student - a girl - Cinder Aryle...

Ozpin registered her posture in a millisecond's span of slowed time - the expression on her face - and the direction of her gaze that snapped immediately to a singular point in the office.

"Cinder-!" he began to yell, rising from his chair.

But her hand was already flashing up, flames were already roaring across the office, straight for Ironwood - before the elevator doors could even fully _open_!

Cinder lunged out of the elevator with an explosion of Aura, shoulders bashing right through the still-opening doors and denting them outward. Glass weapons materialized in her hands, twin swords, burning with fires inside and out! She was slashing and screaming, spitting and roaring!

Ironwood took a single strike across his chest, solely due to the entirely unexpected ferocity of a murderous student in the middle of the Headmaster's office, while three of the most powerful huntsmen were meant to be having a casual conversation. He yelled out and leaped back, hand going to his chest, exposed metal, clothes scorched and torn away in a great gash.

Cinder threw herself forward again, aiming straight to impale!

Ironwood's arm came up, and the sword embedded itself into it with a splash of sparks.

He gazed at her with shock and outrage.

Cinder swung her other blade around for him in an instant; but Ironwood lifted his other hand and caught her wrist, holding her with overwhelming strength.

Ironwood shoved her back, off balance, and tore the blade free of his arm, hurling it aside.

Cinder's clothes lit up, and fire and earth swirled around her free hand to form a glass, flaming blade. And she threw herself at Ironwood again.

Glynda lifted her arm and her Semblance was cast out, stopping the girl in her tracks and lifting her up from the floor. Her weapons were torn from her grasp and hurled across the room.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?!" Glynda was yelling at her, utterly incensed - and _afraid_.

Cinder's wide, burning eyes were fixed on Ironwood still, her entire body was shaking - she was trying to fight the hold Glynda had on her. And she _did_ ; her dress lit up again, and with a jerk of her chin, flames burst from the dress itself and flew for Ironwood. Even despite the situation, Ozpin was _impressed_ : to be able to cast Dust "magic" entirely without hand gestures was a very rare thing - to do it with a move of her chin alone. But then, Cinder had always been very good about mental control over her powers; her own Semblance almost required it, after all.

Ironwood rolled, bringing up his arms in case he needed to block further. "What is going on here?! Get your student under control!"

Glynda slammed Cinder down, flat on her back on the floor, pinning her there and stalking forward.

Cinder's jaw moved again, a scream escaping her throat; and another burst of flames flew off her dress, but this time it went up into the ceiling.

Ozpin moved around his desk and went to Cinder's side, dropping to his knees next to her. "Cinder, look at me - tell me what is going on! Please, calm yourself, and tell me-"

Cinder roared, more flames rippling off her dress and casting off to the ceiling. It bent in mid air, Ozpin noted, almost arcing a few degrees. Cinder really was remarkable - she was still _trying_ , anything and everything, desperately above her own skill level, just to get at Ironwood. To bend Dust in mid air with conscious intent...it really was one of the highest levels of Dust mage skills one could have, and it was so rare for anyone to even come close to mastering it. And yet...here Cinder was _trying!_ On the fly, on the spot!

In order to kill a single man (yes, Ozpin held zero illusions about her intentions here; he was sure no one did, even if the other two did not know her as he did).

"Cinder, _please!_ " Ozpin begged. "Is it Kari, has she threatened you into attacking-"

Cinder _laughed_. It was high, it was manic. Her lips curled with pure disgust, and overwhelming rage. Growls and grunts escaped her, like a wild animal. Her eyes had still not once left Ironwood. And she hadn't once stopped trying to fight Glynda's hold.

A hold that Ozpin knew wouldn't last; Glynda's Aura would run low, drained by such sustained, heavy usage.

And it didn't last. When it broke, and Glynda's arms fell to her sides, Ozpin immediately seized Cinder and threw the girl down again as she made to sit up.

Cinder, free now, had more options open to her. More creative, cunning options than most would - she really was quite the creative girl.

A flex of her fingers, and one of her burning blades flew off the floor for Ironwood.

Ironwood evaded it expertly.

Cinder moved the second one for his exposed back; Ironwood expected a move like this, and he spun around and knocked the blade away with a swing of his metal arm. The blade embedded itself into the wall, several inches deep.

"Cinder, _that is enough!_ " Ozpin snapped at her, grabbing her wrists and pinning her to the wall. "If you do not stop this, you are going to be in Vale juvenile detention for-"

" _Do you think I care?!_ " Cinder's voice was hoarse, shaking, her lips spread wide. " _About the law? All the law does is make slaves...keep slaves as slaves...You want to put so much stock in it?_ "

"Cinder...if you wish to talk about your past-"

" _My past?_ " Cinder laughed again. Then she kneed him in the stomach and shoved against him - but Ozpin held fast, pushing against her in greater force. " _This is about now! About another girl!_ "

"Which girl?" Ozpin asked, for hopes of getting to the bottom of all this.

" _Her name_ is Penny!" Cinder spat. She tried to twist herself around Ozpin, to fix her murderous eyes on Ironwood once more. "But that doesn't mean anything to you, does it?! She's your little robot, your tool to be used! A _person_ _you_ _created_ to be a living weapon! Born a slave, living as a slave for the military - Atlas does love its slaves! You never stopped after the Great War, did you?! None of you people did!"

"How does a student know about Penny?" Ironwood said, hard. "That information is meant to be classified!"

"Penny? A robot?" Ozpin inquired, not taking his eyes off Cinder - not letting her go. Not even a moment. "What is she talking about, James?"

"It's- it's not something we can talk about right now. It's highly classified military-"

" _Classified?! A girl's entire existence is classified!_ " Cinder shrieked. "How do I know? Did you ever consider _her_ at all?! Her thoughts, her _feelings_ , her _dreams and wishes! What she wants to do, who she wants to be! A whole world out there for her, friends, clothing, fun and games - and you don't care about any of that! You just want her to do what you order her to! She's not a person, she's an object to you! How do I know?! She told me, herself - the kind of thing a girl does in life!"_

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Ironwood responded, dismissive. "Of course a child would see life in a machine that imitates-"

"You've been telling her that, so much that even she believes it!" Cinder yelled. "She thinks she's not a real girl, she thinks she isn't allowed to make _friends!_ To have a _kiss_ , to like someone or even to be liked back! To think or do anything except her _purpose_ , what _you want for her!_ You Atlas elites are all the _same_! You think you can make the people under your boots really _believe_ that they're worthless, that they're nothing, that they don't _deserve_ all the same things as you do! Like food, like freedom, like happiness or love! You made Penny believe it about herself, and _you made me believe it about myself too!_ But I learned to stop believing it, and Penny will too! I'll make _fucking sure of it! Because once you're gone, she won't have to listen to you anymore!_ "

"Cinder, that's enough!" Ozpin fought to restrain Cinder, gripping her arms from behind her as she twisted in his grasp and kicked at him again, holding her back as she predictably tried to throw herself at Ironwood again. "James - _leave_. I need to sort this situation out!"

"No, _Ja_ _mes_ , stay - so you and I can sort things out!" Cinder kicked up a foot, and flames burst free again, loosed at Ironwood. " _Not one more girl is going to be a slave to the Atlas elite, do you hear me?! I'm going to kill you, I'll kill all of you, and it's going to be over - we're all going to be free!_ "

Ironwood made for the elevator.

Cinder was twisting and screaming in Ozpin's arms now, kicking out blasts of flames haphazardly now. " _You get back here you fucking coward, don't you dare touch Penny, don't-!"_

Cinder fought and screamed on, every inch of her, until she slowly exhausted herself. It was much like their earliest sessions of combat training. Except in none of those lessons was Cinder left trembling, weeping, and _begging_ for him to let her go protect her friend, save her, help her away from her slave owners. That the girl was in danger, that she was going to be found, punished...

Glynda watched the scene with equal parts horror and pity. Ozpin told her to leave, after Cinder finally fell silent. Ceased struggling.

Ozpin held the girl as she dropped to the floor, supporting her.

Her head rolled, and blotchy eyes found his. "You won't help me? You want me to trust you, to come to you for help...I'm here _right now_...I begged you, but you refuse to help free a literal-"

 _I begged you...and you never answered..._ Words familiar rose in Ozpin's mind, along with a surge of guilt, spoken by another young huntress recently. A huntress he had failed. The reason he had vowed to himself _not_ to fail Cinder now.

"There is a way to help this girl," Ozpin began, quick and quiet. "but not in the way you are likely planning to right this instant. I will talk to James, I promise you I will fully investigate this situation, and if necessary, I'll even shed a public light on it to force his hand with her. But I beg you not to go off and do something that would end your entire life. All that you've fought for, dedicated yourself to-"

"I've dedicated myself to not being a worthless slave anymore!" Cinder choked. "And you want me to just sit back and let someone else rot in the same situation?! It's _wrong! It's disgusting, it's-_ "

"It's absolutely wrong, I'm in full agreement, Cinder! After your message to the world a month ago, I told you this same thing, and I stand by it now!" Ozpin said firmly. "I think it was extraordinarily brave of you to say what you did, to risk revealing your own past like that for the sake of encouraging others! But like that message of yours, we need to approach this situation with...more of a scalpel than a hammer. Or you'll cause your friend far more problems. As you would have caused yourself more problems, if you had taken the lives of your stepfamily long ago."

Cinder froze. Her face twisted. "I- I never wanted to-" she stammered.

"Please, Cinder, we both know that isn't true," Ozpin said sadly, holding her gaze. "Perhaps, someday, it might become so...but not even today is it remotely true."

Cinder shut her mouth, turning away.

Ozpin would have liked to say he saw shame on her face, or guilt, or some flicker of remorse. But there was none of that. Just distress, and anger, and even frustration.

"You intend to go onto that capital ship and free the girl yourself - and kill anyone who gets in your way," he continued on, low and hard. "And I cannot say I understand what it's like to live as a slave, a servant, a mere tool in the eyes of others. I've lived a very privileged life. But I do know that that is not the way to solve this problem. It won't help Penny. Cinder...please, I want your word that you'll do nothing; I _promise you_ that I am going to do everything in my power to help her, but you _must_ promise _me_ that you'll stay out of things going forward. Please."

"So she's being held on the capital-"

" _Cinder_. Please. Give me your word."

"I-"

"And _only_ give me your word if you mean it. I need you...to trust me. Just trust me, please."

Cinder looked at the floor, tears falling. She dug her nails into her arm, perhaps unconsciously. Ozpin hadn't seen her like this since her first arrival at Beacon. So terrified, so anxious, so uncertain of even herself. "O-okay...p-promise..."

A long silence. "Thank you. I swear to you...I won't rest until Penny is as free as you are. I'll help her just as much as I have you. Just...give me the time to do so. Please."

"Okay...yes...yes, sir..."

"Thank you. Would you like me to walk you back to your dorms?"

"N-no, professor - thank you."

"Alright. Go on, then. I will contact you as soon as I can, with anything I can tell you."

Ozpin helped Cinder to her feet, and watched her shuffle off into the elevator.

Those damaged doors closed on her. Scraped against the elevator shaft as it descended, with a high screeching.

Ozpin sighed, walking to the window to gaze out at the Atlas ships over Vale.

_I'm going to have to get that door repaired soon._

* * *

"They're holding a girl _prisoner_! A slave! A _person_! She was created, a girl with a _soul_ , just to be used by the military! She's a living weapon, she's a tool, she doesn't even have _rights_!"

Teams NEBA, RWYJ, and RNBW were scattered around the dorm room as Cinder paced around and between them all, weaving her body as well as she did Dust in clothing. Because Cinder had called them all here, gathered them all here.

At damn near midnight.

"She's _right there_!" Cinder jabbed her finger out the window, to the massive airship floating in the night sky, surrounded by several smaller ones. "General Ironwood is holding her; he won't let her go where she wants, do what she wants, he won't let her be with friends, buy nice clothes, or _anything_ except what he orders her to do! He has armed soldiers around her at all times, watching her!"

Cinder stopped in front of the window, crossing her arms and gazing around the room. "Her name is Penny. She's pretty, and cute, and wonderful, and I...I'm- _please_ , I'm asking you...all of you...to help me save her."

"No," Weiss said decisively, standing. Her own arms crossed. "I refuse to believe the Atlas military would create an entire _person_ , with a _soul_ , just to be a top secret weapon. It's crazy, it's-"

"Immoral? Repugnant? Horrible?" Cinder listed off. "All those big words you love to use...well, use some of them now."

" _No._ They wouldn't do that!" Weiss snapped. "No one would."

"Wouldn't they?" Cinder advanced on the girl, standing before her, and lifted her chin and tore her scarf away. Weiss looked at the burns, her face shocked, sympathetic, horrified - _silenced_ for once in her life. And Weiss wasn't the only one shocked into silence: Teams RWYJ and RNBW were gazing, gasping at the sight of Cinder's neck. Seeing it on the news was one thing, but seeing it in person, actually processing that it was a _classmate_ of yours... "You think the government is always right, that the _law_ is always good? _This_ is what they the government did to me. _This_ is what _the law_ said was perfectly acceptable to have happen to me! _This_ is what they do to _humans girls_ \- to little girls. I was _ten_ _years old_. What do you think they'd do to a _machine_ , a _robot_ , in their eyes? Anything they want; she's an object, nothing more, to them. If you have even a speck of empathy in your high class soul...I'm _begging you_ to help me. Please."

"You- you were a servant girl." Weiss stuttered. "No one _I've_ ever seen was treated like that - not in _my_ house. And- and if anyone did- if _you_ were- I'm _sure_ you just weren't working to your family's expectations! If you had worked harder, I'm _sure_ they wouldn't have just-"

_Smack!_

Cinder was frozen - as was the whole room. She hadn't done it; Emerald hadn't done it; Blake hadn't done it. Pyrrha had done it.

Pyrrha stood before Weiss, her fists quivering at her sides, her face twisted with pure anger. Weiss's head was turned aside, and a large red mark was already spreading on her cheek. "How...could you _possibly_ say something so awful to someone? To anyone? To _Cinder?_ To imply that she just didn't- you would _blame the victim for her own abuse?!_ "

Pyrrha wrapped shaking arms around Cinder, hugging her bodily.

Cinder leaned into it, enjoying the scents and the warmth and the softness of it all - as usual. But this time, it was different. There was a warmth in her _soul_ , toward Pyrrha. It was gratitude. Gratitude she couldn't express. But she tried anyway. "Thank you...for that, for me..."

"I'm sorry...if _these_ are the kinds of people you had to put up with in your life before..." Pyrrha whispered, stroking her hair, her voice quivering.

"C-Cinder...I can't help with this." Blake's voice, very small.

Cinder turned. Gratitude for Pyrrha washed away by flood of _hurt_. "What? Wh-why? You- _you of all people should know_ _what I- what Penny is- right now!_ "

"I do!" Blake exclaimed quickly, tears coming to her eyes. "I do, believe me - _I know!_ But we can't just...storm an Atlas military airship! We can't, we'd ruin- everything, we'd-"

"So, what? Your place in a _school_ is more important to you than a girl's _freedom?!_ " Cinder said harshly, breaking from Pyrrha with fists curled. She stared around the room, at all of them. "Is that how _you all are too_? Huh? Some _academy_ matters more than Penny's _life_? Aren't you all here to be _heroes_ , to be _selfless_ , to _save people?!_ If you don't really believe that, then get the hell out! Leave and never come back! If you aren't willing to even save one girl's life...are you even going to protect the world? Because- because _people are the world!_ Every girl like Penny, every girl like _me_! We make up this world, and if all of you are just going to ignore us when we're in pain, when we're being locked up, when we're being _fucking abused and burned every single day of our lives,_ because it's too _inconvenient_ for you to-"

"I'm in!" Emerald spoke. She stood, and came to Cinder's side. She reached for her, and took her hand. She glared at the others, chin jutted. "I'm ride or die for Cinder, you all know that. But I'm not just doing this for her - I'll do it for Penny. I'll do it because it's _right_. Can any of you people say the same - or are you all a bunch of weak bitches? Go on, put your money where your mouth is! Don't just lip-service being a hero."

"I'll go," a small, high, determined voice said. A figure in red stood.

"Ruby?" Yang said, staring. "You can't be-"

"I said _I'll go_ ," Ruby snapped out. "Cinder's right, Emerald's right - what are we even doing here if we're going to ignore the bad things happening around us? When we can go and stop it? Save a girl from captivity? That's what heroes do! So I'll do it."

Cinder stared at the girl. The annoying girl. "T-thanks..." she whispered, nodding.

Ruby nodded back, firm.

"Screw it, if Ruby's in, I'm in, too," Yang sighed, standing. "I have to be there to look out for her. And besides, going off on a crazy mission to break into an Atlas capital ship? That's just so over the top insane that I couldn't live with myself if I missed out on it!"

"I-I'm in, t-too..." Bondi pushed herself up, and came to stand with Cinder.

"If those little creepers of yours are going to be on my side this time, I'll be happy to have you," Cinder told her. "And so will Penny."

Bondi nodded, hefting the bulging bag slung over a shoulder.

"Atlas wouldn't _do something like this!_ " Weiss exclaimed firmly - _desperately._

"If you payed any attention in history class, you'd know that one of the biggest outcomes from the Great War was that Atlas was forced by the other kingdoms to abolish slavery. Outright, commonplace slavery," Cinder hissed. "But, of course, they never did: they just made it more subtle, and a lot more palatable to the common people of Remnant. Enough to keep it going, enough to be _tolerable_. Enough to be accepted, even by the other kingdoms. Nothing too troublesome that it would force people to step in to stop it."

"Atlas laws on indentured servitude are _nothing even remotely like_ the slavery practices before the Great War!" Weiss yelled, balling her fists and whirling away. "You can't even compare them!"

"Yes, let's not trust that the literal slave is capable of seeing the similarities; clearly, she has _no idea what she's talking about_ ," Cinder said, derisive and mocking.

Weiss remained turned away, remained in silence. Her hands came up to her chest, and her head dropped. "It's not the same. It's not what Atlas _does_ \- even if they d-did before the war; I do pay attention in history, thank you!"

Cinder let a breath go. Drew another. "I don't care what you think about it - I'm just asking you to help me...to help a friend in need. Whether I'm right or you're wrong - none of that matters. Just- help me save Penny. Please..."

"Okay." Weiss sighed, turning to face her at last. Her face was mired in turmoil. "I- I'll help with this - but _just_ for this girl! And- and for the record, _you are wrong_ about Atlas!"

"I. Don't. Care," Cinder reiterated. "Just _help_."

"I'm going to!" Weiss exclaimed. "You don't have to be so angry all the time, you know."

"Seems to me like she has damn good reasons to be," Yang spoke quietly. "Definitely explains everything else about her I could never pin down..."

"Sometimes the worst action...is taking no action at all," Lie Ren said softly. "I'll stand behind you, Cinder."

"Yeah, let's split some Atlas skulls!" Nora cried, with a fierce grin.

Wisteria gave a short nod, crossing her arms. "If my team is in, so am I," she said, simple and clear.

"Looks like we're all behind you, all the way," Jaune said, determined.

"Almost everyone..." Emerald murmured.

Everyone followed her gaze. Followed it right to Blake.

Blake, who sat alone, silent still.

"Blake? Please... _please_..." Cinder begged.

Blake looked at them all. She looked right at Cinder. She stood. Slowly, she walked right up to her, meeting her eyes very intimately. "Okay. I'll join you."

"Thank-"

"On one condition," Blake interrupted, her voice low, and _dangerous_. Cutting as her blades. "You swear to me, and you _damn well mean it when you do_."

"Okay. What is it?" Cinder agreed.

"No one dies tonight. Not _one single person_."

Cinder looked at her. She looked to Pyrrha. She met Blake's gaze, and nodded. "I swear it: no one dies tonight."

Blake smiled. "Then I'll be right there with you."

"A-alright then," Pyrrha said, clearing her throat. "We need to come up with a viable plan - for infiltration _and_ extraction. And, of course, how we're going to even get there in the first place."

"I mean..." Jaune Arc began, tentative. "We do all have rocket lockers. We could grab our weapons, and then just set the coordinates for the same position as the ship. We land on top of it, and then we get in from there. They have to have hatches and doorways up there, right?"

Cinder stared at the boy. "Is there _actually_ something worthwhile in that head of yours?"

"It wouldn't have killed you to just compliment me straight..." Jaune muttered.

Cinder smirked. "Yes it would have." She turned on Weiss. "Do you know where they would be keeping Penny?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, do I just know the layout of an entire Atlas capital ship, just off the top of my head? No," Weiss snarked. She sighed. "But I have a general idea - yes, there should in fact be some exterior hatches and even a few maintenance doorways on top. But even those require clearance, and not to mention, even if we landed on the hull, there are sensors that would detect us immediately. Thankfully, the radar isn't designed to pick up objects as small as people - even with the added mass of our lockers in play - so they won't know we're there until we're...there. That should give us a decent head start on things."

"Okay," Cinder nodded. "I want you in the front; you're the best thing we have that passes for a guide. Emerald, you'll be out front with her as well - you've been working so hard on your Semblance, I'm sure you can manage to mask us all if it really comes down to it. Can't you?"

Emerald nodded, her face set. "I think I could manage it - once or twice. But anything more...I might pass out on you." She looked extremely apologetic, and ashamed of herself.

"It will be emergency use only, then," Pyrrha agreed.

"Our goal should be to get as far into the ship as we can before our location is properly pinned down," Ren spoke quietly, contemplative. "That will be when security personnel will come down on us with as much force as they have in order to contain us. We should try to disable cameras as we go."

The three teams left the dorm as one, stepping out onto the campus in chilly night air.

They stood together, scrolls in hand.

Cinder gazed at them all. She already had her weapons on her, of course. "Are you all still willing? It's going to take all of us to do this." Even she wasn't delusional enough to think she could take on an entire capital ship with upwards of three thousand personnel by herself (according to Weiss; what a helpful tidbit).

"We're with you," Ruby said fiercely.

"Okay, then. Let's do it."

Ruby tapped her scroll, and pointed it at the ground in front of her.

The others did the same, and one after another, their lockers arrived.

They all took up their weapons, and even armors, in some cases (Pyrrha, Jaune).

Cinder called her locker, and then turned to aim her scroll at the distant airship. It chimed after a moment, showing a set of numbers. She showed this off to the others, and they input them into their own scrolls.

Everyone positioned themselves. And for some reason, or maybe the most reasonable reason...they all looked to Cinder.

"Go," Cinder ordered, tapping her scroll.

The lockers launched high into the night sky.


	18. The Slaves Of Atlas Part 2

The wind was whipping at Cinder's hair, her dress, as she rode her locker higher into the sky than she had ever been before!

It began to arch, and then began a surefire descent right toward the top of the largest Atlas warship in the night sky.

Just before it was to hit, Cinder leaped off and went into a roll, throwing out a hand to halt herself as she came up on the exterior hull.

She straightened up, checked her quiver, and then checked her steel swords - everything was still there.

Regrettably, a glance down at her dress revealed very little patches of glistening Dust to work with: she had used up far too much of it earlier today, trying to kill the General, and she had yet to repair the outfit and shore up her supply again.

She glanced around as the others landed around her. Blake caught her eye, her expression wary and stern - and was that hope, or desperation? Either way. _Well, if I'm not going to be killing anyone tonight, I guess it won't matter too much..._

Cinder scanned the hull of the ship, finding lights blinking here and there. Curves, angles, and even what looked like - turrets?

She took her blades out and gave them a twirl, holding them defensively in front of herself.

"Oh, relax," Weiss spoke, with a snort and a shake of her head. "Those aren't defense turrets against _people_ \- they're far too big for that, don't you think! They're for taking down large, flying grimm who get too close - we're talking Nevermore tier."

Cinder let a breath go, shot the girl a glare. "Right - I knew that already - but it's better to be cautious than not."

Weiss gave another snort, stalking past her with her her head held high. She raised an arm and pointed to a spot two dozen feet away, to where blinking lights could be seen on either side of a smooth metal door on the face of a slope. "There's one way in, for your information. Or, did you already know that, too? I hope you could recognize a door!"

Cinder growled, shoving past Weiss and sprinting for the door. She eyed the panel built into the wall to the left of it. She was at a loss; it had a small screen and a little card swiper attached to it.

"As I _told you_ , there's no way in without proper-" Weiss began haughtily.

Cinder stowed her blades away and planted her palms on the door, pushing her Semblance to its limits; an orange glow spread through the door, and then it began to twist and melt, falling apart to pool on the hull as burning liquid metal.

"You were saying?" Cinder retorted, flashing a smirk. The look on the girl's face was worth the expenditure of Aura.

Speaking of - she activated her Aura and leaped over the mess she'd made, into a dark, short corridor. What was surely to be the first of _many_ hallways.

Hallways just _filled_ with people she _hated_ , but that she just...couldn't...kill.

_That's going to be a real bummer._

* * *

General Ironwood stood on the bridge, arms behind his back, staring at the monitors intently as the sensors lit up, and alarms blared all across the ship.

He scrutinized the camera feed as the internal security advisor shifted through them all.

He put hand to chin, leaning forward.

His soldiers were being swatted aside like annoying gnats by the intruders - multiple. It looked like a large operation. Or...no, teams? They looked like...

The image shifted; a figure in a short red dress kicked a soldier in the chin and flipped up over them, landing on one knee, two swords held at her sides. Long dark hair...and amber eyes. She flashed a swift hand and chopped the soldier in the neck - the man dropped like a stone, crumpling on the floor. As she turned to continue on, a self satisfied little smirk was caught on her face.

Now that he recognized _her_ , he recognized the rest for certain.

Ironwood pulled out his scroll and whirled away, stalking off out of earshot of his bridge crew. "Oz - are you aware that three teams of your students appear to be making their way through my ship right this very moment?" _They're making_ my men _look like the children here._

A long pause. "Which teams?"

"NEBA, RWYJ, and RNBW, if I'm not mistaken."

Another lengthy silence. Then, Ironwood heard Ozpin _chuckle_. "Remarkable of her, really...One step backwards, but two steps forward...No trust in me - but trust in all of _them_...And to even have convinced them all - even Miss Schnee...?"

"This is Miss Aryle's doing, then, is it?" Ironwood said lowly. "Oz, this isn't a laughing matter! If she's here, then we know where she's going!"

"And if she's with all of them, things will turn out just fine, I'm sure," Ozpin said, in an annoyingly casual tone. "Yes, we know what she's doing. What they all intend to do here. So why not let them?"

"Excuse me? You want me to just _let those children_ _take classified military property off my very vessel?!_ "

"No: I want you to let those children take a friend out of a situation she ought not to be in."

"So you agree with them." Ironwood sighed. "Oz, soul or not, you can't ascribe personhood to-"

"To a person?" Ozpin's voice was, for a moment, incredibly _hard_. "Is that not the definition of a person? That they have a soul?"

"I- look, this is not-"

"Not up for debate, yes. The definition is very clear in most dictionaries."

"Ozpin! What. Do we. Do?"

"Let them," Ozpin repeated. "They'll bring her to Beacon, won't they? And isn't that why you brought her - where you want her to be anyway? Blending in with people, participating in the tournament? Am I wrong, James? So...let them do for you what you want. I see no difference; I'll watch over her myself. And, regardless, I daresay not a single man or woman on your ship will be able to stop them - are they hurting anyone?"

"No," Ironwood admitted. It was clear enough from the feeds that none of these children were aiming to do serious injuries. The kind that even a student huntsman could trivially deal out to someone without Aura - a superhuman against a non-superhuman. But accidents could still happen. "But-"

"So let them. I'm interested in seeing just how far they can go - especially together, all under _her_. What will they do, how will they think? What tactics will they employ? A child's mind can be quite creative, you know...And _you know_ why it's vitally important that we train the best and brightest new huntsmen," he added firmly, an undercurrent hidden there. "And I can think of no better test than something like this."

"Yes, I know," Ironwood sighed. _Salem._ "But this isn't _training_ , this is illegal boarding of a military vessel, and-"

"Isn't it?" Ozpin cut across, in that infuriatingly calm voice of his once more. But now, a note of amusement was detected. "I'm sure you know by now that my methods are quite unorthodox...The public really should stop being surprised by now, too..."

"Let's say I do let this- this incredible, brazen- _this_ continue? What do you expect me to tell everyone?" Ironwood said, floundering, frustrated.

"What we always tell everyone: it was a training exercise."

"A training exercise?"

"A very impromptu one, yes - but one we jointly agreed upon. Isn't that right, James?"

"I- I- fine..." Ironwood put his hand to his face. "But if there are any seriously debilitating injuries to any of my men-"

"James, come now...they're children: how much damage could they really do to Atlas's finest? You should have more faith in your own soldiers."

"When they're up against _your_ huntsmen?" Ironwood chuckle, at the madness of it all more than any real humor he saw in it. "You're right: I wouldn't place my bets on my side coming out on top. There isn't a single person on this ship who could take them all down."

"Well, I could think of one..." Ozpin said absently. Pointedly.

"So what do you want? For me to stay back, or for me to get involved?" Ironwood said, exasperated.

"Oh no, by all means - get involved. Just treat it like it is: a training exercise."

Ironwood ended the call, stalking back to gaze at the monitors. The sideview cutout of a map of the ship, sections and hallways lighting up every few seconds, rapid fire. He keyed into another camera, showing a single girl sitting in a room, with orange hair and a bow on her head, surrounded by armed soldiers.

James Ironwood grinned to himself. _Training exercise, huh..._

Atlas's training exercises were designed to push its trainees to their limits.

If these children wanted to push him to his...then he'd push back.

He tapped at the interface, keying into the intercom system. A direct line to Penny's room. "Penny - it seems some very determined students are on their way to retrieve you. If they succeed, you'll be spending the rest of your time here until the Tournament at Beacon Academy - with them, and under Ozpin's supervision. If they don't...you'll remain here on this ship until then. Understood?"

Penny turned to gaze up at the camera, a perfectly exaggerated look of shock and joy on her face. An emotional surge created by the soul inside the chassis, nothing more, Ironwood told himself; all the research said it was to be expected, and common sense said it would naturally occur that way. "Yes, sir!" she exclaimed, as if she were really excited at the prospect.

Ironwood cut the line, straightening.

Pocketing his scroll, James turned to his First Officer. He gazed around the bridge, fixing his grin to his face. "I'm sure you're all rather alarmed right now, but there's no need to be - just a little training exercise that Headmaster Ozpin and I have put together for today. To test his huntsmen against our soldiers, and vice versa. If it wasn't said already, focus on containment and disarming - no kill shots, if you would. Ozpin would have my head. But otherwise, I'm certain these students will fare well enough during this exercise on their own. Though, they might need a little help along the way to their objective - Penny Polendina - so do prepare to deploy the emergency bulkheads as necessary. Greenwinds, you have the bridge; I have my own part to play in this now." James gave a nod to the woman, and then he turned and sprinted off the bridge.

* * *

"Well, we're not fighting to kill them, and they're not fighting to kill us, so everything's going great!" Blake yelled out from around a corner. She rushed out with a shadow clone and rolled, coming up with her ribbon twirling - she wrapped up two soldiers and did a flying kick across both their faces, slamming them into the wall and knocking them out. She slashed both her blades to block an incoming volley of bullets from further ahead.

Jaune and Pyrrha moved to the front of the group, out ahead of Blake to take the shots on their shields.

"They are only trying to subdue and contain," Ren agreed. "Likely on General Ironwood's orders."

"Yeah, it wouldn't look great on morning news to report a bunch of Beacon students got slaughtered," Yang cackled, throwing herself out into the hallway and sprinting down along it. She leaped over Jaune and Pyrrha and closed in on the opposition. She kicked a soldier in the stomach and slammed them into a wall, face-first, then she backhanded another. Finally, she then swung a punch hard enough to knock a third one out with a single hit. "And I'm sure Professor Ozpin would flip his shit! Lucky us!" she added, turning back to the others with a flip of her hair.

Cinder considered their words, rushing past Yang to get back into the action. She smacked the flat of her blade against a woman's neck, felling her unconscious. Cinder supposed...if nobody on either side was trying to do real harm, then there was at least something they didn't have to worry about...

"It works for me," she said aloud, shrugging. And besides...

She was starting to have _fun_.

Blake's challenge not to kill, it was a _challenge;_ to do it right, do it _perfect_! It was a lot harder, but it wasn't something Cinder was going to back down from!

And, in some part of her soul...she really didn't _want to_ disappoint Blake in this. It felt...with how Blake had looked, with how she'd talked about her past before, about that partner of hers that scared her, who had killed and hurt...it felt _important._

Blake was important to Cinder! That was it!

Blake, and Blake's feelings, they _mattered._

They were teammates, and friends, after all.

Blake mattered...well, not as much as Pyrrha did, but she still _did_ \- so did Emerald!

And Cinder couldn't bear the thought of making Blake scared of her, or angry with her. Not any of them!

Cinder stepped on toward a split in the hallway, a four-way crossroads, when suddenly powerful metal walls slid down to block two of them.

She slammed her palms against one of them and exploded her Aura outward; the heavy metal was barely even dented!

"Emergency containment bulkheads," Weiss said, simply nodding. "I was wondering when they were going to employ these."

"How do we get past them?" Cinder whirled, demanded.

"We don't," Weiss snapped. She looked to Yang and Nora, shook her head. "You two can try, but I doubt even you could get through them without significant effort. And there are going to be a lot of them, if they're activating them now."

"They left one way open, let's just go that way!" Ruby exclaimed, pointing.

"Likely on purpose," Ren spoke. "They must mean to funnel us somewhere."

Cinder smacked the bulkhead. "No one _funnels me!_ " she gritted.

"It seems like they just did," Pyrrha sighed, coming to lay a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think we have much choice in where we go now."

"Yes I do!" Cinder dropped to her knees and planted her palms on the floor, surging her Semblance again as high as it could go.

A large section of the floor began to light up, to bubble, to fall in on itself. She pushed more into it, and more, until it finally burned through and gave way, creating a hole large enough for a person to pass through, which exposed the deck below.

"That...works," Weiss said reluctantly, staring. "And I s-suppose they would be keeping this robot of yours on one of the lower levels. Not the brig - too obvious - but somewhere down there..."

Cinder jumped down the hole without sparing a glance to anyone else.

She immediately ran down the hall - and a huge metal wall slammed down in front of her face.

Cinder screamed with frustration. She slapped her palms to the wall, using her Semblance for a third time at maximum power.

"Cinder, you're going to be out of Aura if you do that again," Pyrrha spoke quickly, grabbing her arm.

"I'm not letting them decide where I go," Cinder growled, shrugging Pyrrha off.

"I think we have to," Pyrrha said calmly. "This is their territory - their home advantage. I'm afraid all we can do is to adapt, and go along with it, while still keeping our wits about us."

Cinder let her power fade, dropping her arms. "Okay. Fine. We'll play their game." _But we're still going to win it._

* * *

After rampaging through hallway after hallway, and descending several levels, the teams came around another hallway with a dead end.

At the end of this hallway was a single door.

And standing between them, and that door, was General Ironwood.

Ironwood stood tall, hands behind his back, simply looking at them. He had a grin on his face. "You took longer to get here than I expected - those pointless attempts at detours really hampered your progress. But you're here now. You want Penny?" He jerked his head, gesturing to the lone door behind himself.

Penny was in there? Right there? "What do you think?" Cinder snapped, gripping her blades more firmly and stepping forward.

"Well..." Ironwood chuckled, and he spread his arms at her. "Come try and take her, then."

 _Try?!_ Cinder growled, and sprinted for the man.

Ironwood twisted under her swing, out of the way, and lashed out with a quick strike of a fist that had her reeling. Blake launched forth, alongside Emerald, the two girls slashing in duality. Ironwood ducked, leaned back, rolled to the left, came up around with a kick to Blake's ribs that sent her into a wall. Emerald opened fire with her Dust blasters; Ironwood ran right for her, his arms protecting his face, and took her up in a full body tackle. He transformed it into a powerful suplex, and then he was drawing out a large sidearm and aiming it at Cinder. He fired, once, and a purple Gravity Dust round burst out, slamming into her stomach and sending her flying back down the corridor!

Yang and Nora came at him from opposite angles, while Ruby and Weiss combined their weapons to create powerful Ice Dust rounds.

Ironwood flashed out his pistol and blasted, the bullets meeting in mid air and exploding in icy shards. He reached up and grabbed Nora's hammer, swung her around into Yang and threw them both away from himself.

Ruby blitzed him with her Semblance, becoming a flurry of rose petals; Ironwood uppercutted her, slamming her into the ceiling (the metal caved on impact). Ruby's Aura flared as she fell down, flat on her face.

"Everyone, get back!" Wisteria raised her hand at Ironwood, her eyes narrowed with concentration. A familiar white wave of energy rippled down the hallway.

Ironwood flashed his gun up, and a purple round flew down the hall, passing all of them to strike Wisteria in the chest. The girl went flying, crying out.

"My turn!" Bondi flexed hands that were clad in elaborate brass knuckles, inlaid with small Dust crystals, and punched the air; a dozen icy projectiles flew out for Ironwood.

Ironwood just put his arms over his face and tanked them, his Aura giving a little flicker.

Bondi's weapons shifted, and long knives flipped out from between her fingers. A red crystal lit up, and the knives were shrouded in flames. She ran at Ironwood, slashing furiously, leaving trails of fire in the air.

Ironwood punched her across the face, twice, back and forth, and then put his gun to her chest and pulled the trigger. The round exploded against Bondi's Aura, flaring it bright and sending her stumbling backwards. A second round struck her, then a third, and a final Gravity Dust round caused her to do a backflip and hit the floor hard, her meager Aura shattering.

Cinder rushed Ironwood again, blasting a fireball at his chest as she approached. She ducked low and twirled under a punch he threw at her, slashing for his leg; he pulled that leg back and brought the other one around, striking her hard in the ribs, sending her rolling aside. She came up and slashed for his neck, turning that momentum into motion she wanted. Ironwood leaned back and slammed his elbow into her side, making her stagger.

"Hey!"

Cinder turned her head, and a yellow streak of light flew for her, slamming into the ground at her feet. She looked down, and saw light images of clockwork. The hands began to speed up, and a yellow glow enveloped her.

Ironwood fired at her, his eyes widening.

And Cinder took a single step to the side, avoiding the slow moving projectile as easily as if it were a wad of paper. Her whole body felt...energized! It was amazing, it was-

The first good thing anyone from Atlas had ever even done for her (barring Rhodes; always barring him).

_Huh._

Cinder felt a smirk creeping over her face, and she flew at Ironwood in an instant, a single step taking her right up to his face. She slashed across his chest three times, even as he was just bringing his arms up, moving in slow motion! He kicked at her, and she effortlessly evaded it and resumed her slashing. She twirled her body, rotating around him, slashing his back, his sides, everywhere she could touch!

His Aura flared and flickered under the assault!

Cinder laughed, slashing him across the face, then ducking under his arm and seizing it in an elbow, turning to hurl him face-first into a wall. She rushed at the man and slashed across his back twice over, then she grabbed his neck and threw him back the other way. She leaped at him and did a flying kick to his chest; he hit the other wall and dented it inward.

She was invincible, she was untouchable, she was _everything_ , she was-

The yellow light faded, and Cinder's body slowed to a maddeningly normal _crawl_ compared to what she'd once been.

Ironwood whirled, punching her hard in the chest. He kneed her in the stomach, swung a leg to sweep her off her feet, then reached down to seize her throat and lift her high. He turned and threw her at an approaching Pyrrha, knocking them both over.

Emerald narrowed her eyes at Ironwood as Yang and Nora ran at him again.

Ironwood fell into a defensive stance, looking left and right but not _seeing them_ , apparently.

Yang got in a strong punch to Ironwood's stomach, eliciting an Aura flare and a great _oof_ from the man. Ironwood shoved her away, and then Nora's hammer was slamming down on his hunched backside, driving him into the floor.

His Aura flared again.

Ruby, Pyrrha and Ren aimed their guns, firing on Ironwood and taking it down further.

Cinder threw several fireballs, adding to the mix of it all!

Ironwood dodged, weaved, blocked - but he couldn't avoid even half of it.

His Aura shattered, and he slammed back into the wall beside the lone door.

Then, he fell to his knees.

Cinder sauntered forward, twirling her blades, a warm glow rising in her chest, a heady high filling her mind up.

Ironwood flashed his gun up at her at point blank range, arm not even extending, and pulled the trigger.

Cinder took the hit in the forehead, falling backwards. She snarled and righted herself, and kicked out at the man's hand; the gun went flying, clattering several feet away. Then, she kicked him in the face; a loud _crack_ echoed down the hallway, and Ironwood collapsed at her feet. As unconscious as all his soldiers.

As helpless as all of them...

Cinder's arms trembled at her sides - her right blade began to rise-

"C-Cinder, please don't!" Blake's voice, screaming, desperate - _tearful_?

Cinder turned, and saw that Blake _was_ , in fact, on the verge of tears.

"You...you p-promised," Blake said, in a near whisper. Pleading.

Cinder stared at her. She looked down at Ironwood. _Right...I did that. I promised her...and it matters, dammit! But he's right here, he's just- this General, this slaver, this...I have him right here! But - I did promise..._

And Cinder didn't at all like the way Blake was looking at her now. Or Pyrrha. Or Emerald. Every face begging, every face afraid...every face...just so...

And she wouldn't like it any more, how they would probably look at her if she went through with it...would she?

Cinder clipped her blades to her belt, and stepped past the General.

She rammed her fist into the door, and used the last of her Aura to blow it apart.

Four soldiers stood in the small room, surrounding Penny.

They raised their guns at Cinder.

Cinder stood frozen, her lips parting.

Suddenly there was a blur of black, a shimmer of an image in the air, and Blake was in front of her, slashing her swords furiously, blocking all of their bullets. She shadow cloned again, flying around the room, twirling and kicking and leaping, until the four were on the ground, motionless.

Penny's eyes widened. "Cinder! The General said you were coming for me - I suppose this means we are going back to Beacon then?"

Cinder hurried forward and seized Penny's hand. "Yes - come on. Did he hurt you? Did anyone hurt you?"

"What? No, of course not! They just like keeping me safe."

"Sure," Cinder dismissed. She felt a pang in her soul; the girl didn't even realize her situation! They had her _that_ brainwashed! Not even Cinder had been so thoroughly cowed from it all that she had never recognized how wrong her treatment was! That was...very, very worrying. It almost _hurt_.

The teams were staring at Penny.

"She looks like a normal girl to me..."

"Definitely doesn't look like a robot."

"There's no beep boop boop going on..."

Penny stared, wide eyed, right back at them all. She wrung her hands and turned away, embarrassed. Uncomfortable.

"Hey!" Cinder barked at them all, glaring. "All of you, shut up, back off, and _focus_ on how we're getting out of here now! Penny isn't a shiny toy on a shelf for you to salivate at!" That said, she turned to Weiss. "What's the fastest way off this ship from here?"

Weiss thought quickly. She turned to point back down the hall, to the "T" intersection. "The lower hangar should be...relatively close to us. We could - and I can't believe I'm suggesting it - steal an airship. There should be troop transports there."

"Who knows how to fly an airship?" Cinder demanded, sweeping her gaze across the teams.

Everyone shifted, shaking their heads.

"Really? _Really?_ No one?" Cinder said, exasperated.

"Hey, it's not like _you_ do - do you?" Yang retorted.

Cinder gave a wordless growl, tugging on Penny's hand and shoving past the group. "We'll figure it out when we get there! How hard can it be?"

Really, _how hard could it be?_ She had learned to drive a car pretty well these past months, hadn't she? How different could an airship be?

* * *

Professor Ozpin sipped his coffee, staring out the window of his tower.

His gaze locked to a single point in the night sky: the position of the Atlas air fleet.

After some time, he spied the bottom of the ship opening, and a lone transport launching out of it.

This transport swerved and tilted, wobbled its way into a wide horizontal arch that pointed its nose toward Beacon tower. All the while, various lights flickered and flashed on and off across the exterior - the landing struts extruded and retracted multiple times.

And it continued its speedy, tumultuous journey, closer and closer.

Far too close.

Ozpin gripped his cane in hand as the airship's features became near enough to make out in some detail.

The lights blinded him as they flashed on again.

A loud horn echoed through the night.

Then the airship swerved hard to the left and went into a dive.

Ozpin followed its trajectory, watching as it did a complete barrel roll before making a hard swerve upward - a very poor attempt at leveling out.

He watched the ship slam into the grass, and skid to a halt in front of a column - after mowing down several trees, and destroying a few wonderfully crafted stone benches and tables.

The side door slid open, and the landing ramp was extended. Ozpin saw Weiss Schnee take a step for the top of the ramp - and then the ramp quickly retracted itself, causing the girl to fall out of the ship and land face-first in the grass.

There was a commotion inside the cargo bay, several familiar figures clearly arguing - a few looking like they were laughing, but trying not to.

And then Cinder Aryle weaved between them all and strode down the ramp, dragging along by the hand a girl Ozpin had seen around James Ironwood before: Penny Polendina.

This was the girl, then.

They had all succeeded.

Cinder had succeeded.

 _Excellent._ Ozpin took a long sip of his coffee, and made his way to the elevator with a smile on his face.

As the King of Vale who had once used magic and Relics alike to force the Great War to end - and to force an abolishment of slavery by all, but most importantly Atlas - Ozpin was _very_ pleased with his students tonight.

And one student in particular.

* * *

In early morning, Ozpin gave a very brief, concise statement to the public on the situation glimpsed in the sky the past night. It was as thus: "Late last night, General Ironwood and myself decided to initiate an impromptu, joint training exercise, to test not only the skills and protocols of the Atlas military's finest against an infiltration and assault on one of their capital ships, but also to test the skills of some of our finest students here at Beacon academy - by having them play the roles of the infiltrators in said exercise."

"The results of the exercise were...enlightening, on a multitude of fronts - from security system effectiveness, to training and response time, and even how they fare against huntsmen tier threats," Ironwood spoke, calm and light. "I was glad to commit to such an exercise with my old friend, Ozpin. Clearly, there are things that need to change, and improve with our soldiers, and the way we conduct operations. And of course, it is also a credit to the huntsmen in training here, to the best of Beacon."

Precisely an hour after giving this statement, Ozpin would call all three teams to his office for a more personal message to be delivered.

"After reviewing security footage, no one was seriously injured - something I'd consider a miracle - and you all only had the best of intentions," Ozpin began, standing before the assembled students. He met eyes with Cinder, deliberate. "Furthermore, it does me proud to see just how well you all worked together, how well you came together for the sake of a common goal - all grudges or issues set aside. Committed to following the lead of a single person, on a mission that should not have succeeded at all. And yet, because you were all so willing to work together, and to work under that one person...you managed to pull it off. And lastly, I must say how proud I am to also know just how willing my best huntsmen are to go against the government, against injustices or corruption, should they see it out there. True justice and compassion are beyond the confines of nationalities, and morality does not equate to law. But, I will warn you: next time, I will not cover up for you. You have far too much reputation and _promise_ for me to expel over _this_ understandable incident...but if you repeat it, I'm afraid I'll have no choice. Are we clear?"

"Yes, professor," came the chorus from the children.

"Good. Now, run along - and take your friend with you. Ms. Polendina, you're a very lucky girl, to have such brave friends."

Penny smiled at Ozpin, and about had a stroke when he shook her hand. "Thank you, sir!"

"Let me tell you that I fully agree with my students: you deserve every single right that any other person has in this world," Ozpin spoke firmly. "And, laws for you written or not, I will always treat you as if they're _already written._ Please, never doubt this."

Penny blinked. "T-thank you...but I-"

"Tell me, would you say that the faunus are not deserving of rights, or personhood at all?" Ozpin said mildly.

"N-no, of course not sir!" Penny gaped.

"Then why should it be any different for you?"

"Because _I am_ different."

"I see none. All I see is another girl standing before me."

"T-thank you..." Penny nodded, looking still quite conflicted.

The three teams began to leave as one, to Ozpin's delight; already, even if unconscious, even if slight, a bond had been forged in common goal and success.

Only two remained.

Cinder grabbed Penny's hand and led her away, pulling her close as she turned to go.

"Cinder," Ozpin spoke.

She stopped, turning back with a brief flash of fear. She bowed her head, very careful. "Yes, sir?" her voice came, quiet and controlled.

"Glad as I am that you succeeded last night...I'm rather hurt that you chose not to trust in me."

Cinder stared at him like he was insane. Like he was some alien being, behaving in a way she couldn't comprehend. It was pure confusion. "I- I'm sorry?"

"Next time, could I ask you to try?"

"I...yes, sir; I'll t-try, professor." Cinder stammered out, still looking completely baffled. Ozpin could imagine that no adult had ever once told her that _they_ had been hurt by _her_ actions before.

"Good. Go on now," Ozpin said simply, gesturing.

Cinder obeyed, that confused look on her face the last thing Ozpin saw before the elevator closed on her.

As soon as Cinder was gone, Ozpin took out his scroll and made a call. "Are you there?"

"I'm here," came the gruff voice. "What's up, Oz?"

"I have a particularly troublesome student on my hands, who quite frankly could use a discreet set of eyes on her at all times. I need you back here at Beacon as soon as you can make it."

"You're calling me back after months just so I can play babysitter?"

"Well, this student has made an impressive habit of getting herself into very serious, very dangerous situations. She's damaged, and she has incredible potential. An often dangerous combination in itself. And I cannot be there to watch her even a tenth as much as I feel is necessary lately. Please, Qrow?"

"What kinda situations?"

"Well," Ozpin began. "the most recent time that I lost track of her, she ended up leading a dozen of her classmates on an infiltration mission of the capital ship in James' standing fleet - and they succeeded. Returned right to Beacon in a stolen transport."

Silence.

"Are you shitting me?" Qrow laughed. "I'm coming back as soon as I can. It's not like we've made any progress on tracking down Spring, anyway."

"Hmm. Speaking of the two of you - how has Amber seemed lately? Mentally, physically?"

"Unbearably naïve, unfailingly kind as ever; every last person that makes teary eyes at her sends her wandering off from the assignment." Qrow paused. "But she's strong, determined to keep up with me. Determined to do whatever she can for the cause, even without those powers of hers. No loss of combat skills, as far as I can tell, either; we've had a few scraps with bandits already."

"Not your sister's, I hope."

"Not yet."

"Excellent. It will be good for both of you to return, I think."

"We'll be there soon. Qrow, out."

Ozpin ended the call, sitting down at his desk to think.

He hoped he could help hasten Kari's search for Spring - and thus, help hasten her acquisition of the Relic of Knowledge. Because if she could get hands on it...if she could use it...

Ozpin was sure that he could bring her back to his side again.

Because a woman like her, so dedicated, so compassionate, so honorable...would choose even to work with him again if it meant preventing the literal end of the world.

And, as a side benefit, Ozpin also hoped he could get more time to talk with her, and earn her forgiveness.

To see a woman like her so twisted by vengeance and hate, so _broken_...

Ozpin couldn't stand to see it any longer.

Couldn't stand knowing it was his own fault.

And he was desperate to fix it.

* * *

"But I am not a slave!" Penny exclaimed, sitting on the bed with Cinder.

Cinder slammed her palm onto book, pointing at the words again. "Read it," she said, after taking a breath.

Penny nodded, focusing. "Slave: A person legally owned by another and having no freedom of action or right to property. A person who is forced to work for another against his/her will. A person under the domination of another person or some habit or influence. A slave is considered as a property of another as the one controlling them purchases them or owns them from their birth."

"Do you agree that that's the definition of a slave?" Cinder demanded, as patient as she could be.

"It is written right there in the dictionary, yes," Penny said slowly.

"Do you agree that the situation described...also describes _your_ situation?"

"I-"

"You were- born- as property of the Atlas military. Weren't you?"

"Y-yes..."

"And you've been forced to work for Ironwood ever since you were born?"

"I am n-not _forced_ , I-"

"Does he allow you to do anything you want in life?"

"Well..."

"Does he let you have friends? Does he let you buy clothes? Does he let you go where you want?"

"S-sometimes, actually-"

"Does he ever not have armed soldiers around you?"

"Sometimes!"

"We're getting off track. Penny. Answer. Me: Do you agree that this is _accurate to your situation?_ "

Penny blinked, looking down. She held her hands together. "Yes? I- I suppose it could fit..."

"Then you agree..." Cinder began, strained. "that this means your situation is one of slavery - that _you_ are a slave. To the Atlas military, to Ironwood."

"I...n-no, it's not like that."

"Argh!" Cinder shut the dictionary book and swept it off her bed. She looked over to the bed beside hers. "Pyrrha - get through to her like you always do to me, please! You're good at that!"

"Alright, I'll try," Pyrrha placated, coming over to sit with the two girls. She sighed, then reached for Penny's hands. "Penny...?"

"She is _wrong_ ; I am not a slave, I just have a job to do - I cannot be distracted. I'm not allowed to be!" Penny burst out, pleading.

"I...I don't think she is," Pyrrha said softly. "I know it must be very difficult to accept - very emotionally trying - but you do need to _try_. For a whole person, with a soul, to be c-created and put to work like that, to never be allowed to do anything else in life...it is fitting of the definition of slavery."

"But I'm not," Penny insisted. "I like working for Mr. Ironwood."

"A-and that's fine to feel," Pyrrha nodded. "but that doesn't change the definition of slavery, or the laws drafted since the Great War on the matter. Even with your...very unique birth, it can still apply to you. Because you do qualify as a person, under most definitions. And it's just quite plain to see."

"I'm not..."

Cinder grabbed Penny's arms and yanked her close. "Listen! You want a life? You want to try on nice clothes, talk about cute boys, and paint your nails together with us? Then hurry up and accept your damn situation! Because here's the thing, Penny: _slaves don't get to do any of that!_ They're not _allowed to do any of that!_ You know you aren't allowed, but you _want_ to do those things, so some part of you has to know it's true! So how about you get the rest of you to catch up, and you can start having a life worth living for once! A life of your own! Accept it, and everything you could ever want to do, you can _do_!"

"Cinder, don't shake her like that!" Pyrrha gasped, grabbing her arm. "You asked me to help her, so you need to try to-"

Cinder broke free and got to her feet. She stalked over to Emerald, held out a hand. "Makeup - now."

Emerald was a flurry of motion, digging into her nightstand drawers. She smacked several items into Cinder's palm.

"Thanks," Cinder said shortly, whirling away and stalking back over to Penny. She took a nail polish bottle in her fingers, dangling it before the girl. "Penny, do you want this? Do you want to use this? Do this with us? A nice, wonderful girl's evening together?"

"Y-yes, please, I'd love to-" Penny beamed, half reaching.

"Shame," Cinder cooed, and held it out of reach of the girl. "Slaves don't get makeup. Slaves don't get girls nights. Oh, if only you weren't...you could have all you ever dreamed," she went on, voice dripping with false sympathies. "Even this little bottle. But, no, such a simple thing, a slave isn't worthy of even _touching_ \- let alone using!"

"Cinder, I think that's enough," Pyrrha began, frowning.

"It's so simple, really," Cinder continued, relishing, waving the bottle in Penny's face. "Just admit you're a slave, and I'll let you have it. Only a non-slave can have things like this. Admit it, and I'll let us all sit down and have a lovely girls night!"

Penny stared at the bottle, transfixed. Her eyes fluttered. Her hands curled and uncurled. Her mouth opened, closed. Then- "I- I'm...a- a s-slave?"

Cinder smiled widely, leaning in and patting Penny on the head as she dropped the bottle into her lap. "Yes you are! That's right!"

Pyrrha's jaw worked silently, her eyes widening with disbelief.

Cinder sat down with Penny and snatched the bottle out of her hand, unscrewing the cap. "Now, let's show you how to use this," she said brightly.

"Please!" Penny gasped, beaming.

"Emerald - come here and show me how to use this so I can show Penny how to use this," Cinder ordered, snapping her fingers at the girl. "Blake, get your not-as-hot-as-mine ass over here, too. We're having a girl's night with Penny."

"You're not the team leader," Blake replied, but she was smiling warmly.

Cinder turned to Pyrrha, expectant.

"The team leader is making it official: We're having a girl's night," Pyrrha declared.

Blake set her book aside, and came to join them. "If it's for Penny, sure."

* * *

"So you're the one everyone's making a fuss about. I'm not impressed."

In late evening's darkness, Cinder turned on a heel sharply in the street, her eyes going to the mouth of the alley she had just passed by.

In shadows stood a man - early twenties, clad in black and red clothes, wearing a grimm mask. He had a sword sheathed at his belt.

 _Why do I even keep going shopping?_ Cinder thought, exasperated. She set her bag containing her set of lingerie down, kicked it back, and drew her twin steel blades. "Who are you supposed to be, exactly?"

"You think you're changing things? You think you even can?" The man scoffed at her, shaking his head. He leaned against the alley wall, crossing his arms. "You think one little broadcast is enough to free slaves? You think that even _did anything?_ Not even a _human_ can get her fellows to listen to her on _that_! It's just your nature, and you all will fight to the ends of this planet to keep to it. To keep what you've built in place."

" _I_ was a slave, you idiot!" Cinder snapped, raising her chin. "And before _that_ , I was a ten year old in an orphanage. Tell me again how I _ever_ , at any point, helped with any of this."

"You help it just by existing in it," the man replied easily. "You think you have something in common with the faunus? You think your suffering makes you like us? In the end, you're still human, and that still puts you above us in society."

"What wonderful standards you have there - it makes it impossible for anyone to even compete with you," Cinder mocked.

"Suffering isn't a competition. But the faunus suffer the most, and we always will. That's never going to change."

"One of my friends is a fucking faunus! And if she's suffered, I want to help her! This isn't an either or situation, it's not faunus versus humans, because there are plenty of humans - like _me_ \- who just want to help the people we care about! Faunus or not!"

"We don't need people like you fighting _for us_ ," The man retorted. "We don't need humans to fight for us."

"Then I'll stand by you - I'll be an ally, and a friend."

"We've had plenty of those before, too. They usually all leave when it gets too tough, when it starts impacting _their lives_ too much."

"Well, I won't," Cinder asserted. "Not until everyone, everywhere, can be free. _No matter who or what they are!_ "

"Foolishness, girl. Foolishness. You want to believe that badly that you can make the world change, make everyone change, after escaping your own suffering...But you can't. You won't. It will happen again, and it will keep happening. The world is how the world _is_. Only _we_ can make it change, only the faunus are going to be the ones to light the fires of revolution, and give your kind the justice it so rightly deserves! Because we're _meant to_."

"Well, you're just one crazed activist, aren't you?" Cinder snorted.

The man laughed, low and throaty. He shook his head, hand lifting to touch his mask. "See - there you go. Your _nature_ is cruelty, oppression, and you fell victim to it yourself, to your own people! But you can't even help defaulting to it, yourself, against us faunus! You claim to want to _help_ , to be an ally, but what you really feel about us is anger and frustration. That we're not just putting ourselves at your feet any more!"

Cinder scoffed, shaking her head right back at him. "No, that's just a _me_ thing - or so I'm told..." she muttered out.

The man clenched his fist before him, pushing off the wall and stepping forward. "It's the core of every human, make no mistake. Even if you wish otherwise, even if you want to fight against it...you can't change who you really are. How you really are inside."

Anger and fear, and doubt all swirled around in her soul. Until finally, Cinder growled, and she lunged, her chest roaring with a burning rage that washed away all else.

 _You have no idea what you're talking about! I can change, I can change myself, I can be better, I can be perfect! I'll show_ you!

* * *

After a fierce battle of back and forth, Cinder kicked the man hard, sending him back against the wall, his Aura shattering on impact. He slid down it, sprawled.

"Go on then, kill me already. I guess...I've gotten lucky too many times before, avoiding death at the hands of a human. It had to run out sometime..." he muttered, glaring up at her.

This man. This faunus. Oppressed, abused...like her...like Blake, like Professor Uri, probably...

A faunus who had come to her, after _her_ message!

Cinder felt something squirming inside her. Triumph faded. Rage bled away. Slowly, she reached up and pulled on her scarf. She lifted her chin, swords at her side, and stepped forward. She drew a breath, and sighed. "Listen...I know what you're feeling. I- I know what it's like to- every single day...to want to kill the ones who hurt you. Tormented you. Degraded you. To hate them _so much._ I made my first attempt at it when I was ten. But a kind man convinced me not to, that it wouldn't make my life better - just ruin it. The way to get better, was to endure, escape, and move on. And I did, I dedicated myself to that. But even so, I wanted to still kill them. I almost did, when I was fourteen, again. I'm not sure where or...who I'd even be right now if I had done it, but I'm happy to not have to ever find out." She hesitated. "N-no, that's not right; I _do know_ what kind of person I could have become," she admitted quietly, more to herself than to him. "Because I know what I'm capable of, how close I've come to faltering these past few months, and I know how close I _did_ come to turning out different. And that person...she terrifies my friends, every time they get a glimpse of her."

Cinder stopped before him, gazing down on him. He never looked away from her face, fearful but resigned. She sighed.

"The people who tormented me, I still want to kill them - I dream about it, I always imagine every grimm I slay is them - but that man who put me on the right path...was right. It would just ruin all that I have now, all that I am now. I don't hate them so much that I'd risk losing everything...just for them. They aren't worth it. I've realized this, how important and wonderful it all is; friends, fun, happiness, love, joy and humor, lovely dresses and wonderful foods. It's not worth giving it all up, these _constant pleasures_ , for the _fleeting pleasure_ of taking their lives. That's what it is: it's fleeting, and after it leaves you where even are you? Have things improved, do you feel any different inside? I'm guessing no. So why...why waste your life on such a single-minded thing as revenge and brief pleasures, instead of gathering around yourself a constant glow, joy, warmth of so much _more_?"

Cinder knelt before the man, and reached slowly for his head. "My suffering was at the hands of the Atlas elites. I was sold at the age of ten, bought from an orphanage in Mistral. From then on to seventeen, I was a literal slave; I was a dog wearing a shock collar. People passed in and out of that hotel, stayed days to weeks, but no one noticed, no one cared, no one helped me get free of it. I was nothing...but now: I am _everything_. You can be, too, if you can just try to let it all go and focus on-"

His face twisted, his arm swung up - and a powerful red energy blast erupted.

Cinder took it on her Aura, crossing her arms, but it was a heavy hit that nearly knocked her over!

By the time she'd even lowered her arms, the man was gone.

Cinder shook her head, walking back to the sidewalk to pick up her bag. _Ungrateful asshole; that's what I get for opening up to you? For actually trying, for once...for taking a chance on an oppressed faunus - a chance to help, to get through to you?_

This whole huntress, heroic, helping people gig...was really going to be a lot more difficult than Cinder had thought, she decided as she walked on.

And _that_ just made her all the more anxious about her upcoming first, real mission next week that she was set to be going on with her team!


	19. The First Mission

"Cinder, are you all right?" Pyrrha asked instantly, as soon as Cinder walked into the dorm.

Cinder supposed her sweaty, tired, disheveled appearance was a big giveaway that something had gone down.

She threw her shopping bag on her bed, and joined it there, sitting down. She drew a breath, let it go again. Let her head drop, pushed her shaky hands through her hair.

She hadn't lost her Aura, but the sheer intensity of that fight had been...something else.

Cinder never thought she'd meet an opponent powered by as much sheer rage and determination as herself - but it appeared that she had met her match! They had been about even, back and forth, ferocious with one another as battling lions. It had been _nothing_ like fighting Pyrrha, or even Ironwood! It had been...something all its own. There had been a few points where, secretly, Cinder had thought she would lose - but she hadn't! She'd won out! Of course she had. She was _her_ , after all.

"I..." she began, looking up. She looked past Pyrrha, to Blake. "I had a fight with a faunus."

Blake frowned. "Did you catch a name? What did they look like?"

"No name - but I'd guess they were early twenties? Black clothes, red sword - a grimm mask. He-"

Blake gasped, shooting to her feet. She rushed to Cinder and suddenly _hugged her._

"Um...what?" Cinder said blandly. "I wasn't hurt. It was...a challenge, but I didn't lose my Aura. He did."

"Why did this man attack you?" Pyrrha asked.

"Apparently, he wasn't happy with my big speech a few weeks back," Cinder said, over Blake's shoulder. She pried Blake free and shoved her back. "What's _wrong with you_? I can't even remember the last time _you_ wanted to hug me! I wasn't hurt, I wasn't even scratched - get a grip already!"

Blake straightened - stared at her mutely, her face pure white. Her lips were shaking.

" _What?_ " Cinder repeated, rising too. "Tell me why you're acting so- overly...worried about me. Because there's _nothing_ to worry about! I beat his ass into the ground."

"Blake, please, tell us what's wrong," Pyrrha said firmly.

"Did you know him or something?" Emerald spoke, coming to join them.

Blake flinched, and she turned her head away.

"You do!" Emerald exclaimed, staring. "Who the hell is he? Who's he to attack _Cinder?!_ Come on, let's go find him and make him pay for it-"

 _"No!_ " Blake shouted. She shoved at Emerald and ran for the clear other side of the dorm room. She smacked her palms down on a desk, gripping the edges, leaning over it. Harsh, quavering breaths came from her.

"Are you even listening? I beat him!" Cinder snarled, annoyed. "I'm sure we could all manage to beat him even more easily together."

"No...no...just- j-just- you need to stay s-safe, stay away from him, you can't..."

"Who even is he?" Cinder demanded, striding across the room. She sighed, hesitated...and then she reached out and awkwardly put her hand on Blake's back. She patted her. "Who is he?" she said again, making her voice softer. "He wasn't happy with me - I deserve to know. We all do; we're a team, aren't we? We've shared...so much already. Share this, too."

Blake straightened, arms going around herself. She turned to face Cinder, looked her in the eyes. She nodded. "He's- t-that partner I told you about...Adam. His name is Adam. And he's...a high ranking member of the White Fang."

Cinder was surprised Blake had even answered her. That it had even _worked_. But she was...relieved. Happy it had. She nodded. "Okay, then. The White Fang; they're the faunus fighting for their rights in this world."

"Y-yes. Fighting the wrong way," Blake murmured. She looked down. "I know _you_ would agree with them - how they do things. L-like I said before, you...you and him...are a lot alike. But you're also very different!" she added quickly. "You're better than him, Cinder. You're so much _better_! And- you need to stay better, please!"

"I will," Cinder agreed. She grinned. "It shouldn't be too difficult - I _am_ already better. I beat him."

"You might have, this time," Blake said quietly. "But next time, he'll know what to expect from you. Your skill level, your abilities. And...and if he was truly trying to kill you, you wouldn't have won."

" _I_ wasn't trying to kill _him_ ," Cinder responded, annoyed. "You have it all backwards. He only lived because _I_ let him. I- I tried to...actually...do the huntress thing and talk to him," she went on, her cheeks heating up. "But he lashed out at me and vanished..."

"You did?" Pyrrha spoke, smiling. "I'm proud of you."

"Thank you," Cinder said, a glow forming in her chest.

"Adam would never listen to a human, even if you're telling him what he needs to hear," Blake sighed. "He wouldn't listen to me, either..."

"You're still scared," Cinder noted. She reached out and took Blake's arms. She pulled her in and hugged her gingerly. "Don't be. Listen, you told me he's hurt and killed a lot of people before? Well, if he wants to try to hurt any of us - or _you_ \- we'll kick his ass, no problem. Okay?"

"Right, sure..." Blake whispered, burying her face in Cinder's chest. "Thanks."

Cinder looked to Pyrrha, helpless.

Pyrrha gave her a smile and a thumbs up. Emerald gave her two.

Cinder stroked at Blake's hair for a solid ten seconds before deciding it had to be good enough, and she let her go and walked away.

She felt pretty pleased with herself, all things considered.

* * *

Several days after the encounter with Adam the faunus, Cinder and her team gathered in the amphitheater for another Ozpin speech.

After which, they found themselves standing together before a holographic screen, which displayed a list of missions.

The team huddled in, scanning through the headings and information details.

"Well, since we _are_ a team, I think it's only fair that we all agree on our first mission," Pyrrha decided. "Now, raise your hand if you'd like a Search and Rescue mission?"

Blake raised her hand. So did Emerald.

Cinder refused.

Pyrrha gave her a knowing look and a small grin. But her eyes were... "Are you by any chance holding out for Search and _Destroy?_ " she spoke, sighing and shaking her head.

"Yes."

"Of course you are; you just want to kill things," Emerald laughed, with a turn of her head and a little nervous quaver.

"I want to kill _grimm,_ " Cinder said quickly, glancing at Blake on some odd instinct. A worry, really...She found herself worried about _all of them_. Because _they were worried about_...Hadn't they been, ever since Penny, since Ironwood, when she had nearly...? Cinder still couldn't really get those looks on their faces out of her mind. Couldn't stop how much it _still bothered her._

"Well...I would vote for Search and Rescue, too," Pyrrha said slowly, raising her hand. She gave Cinder an apologetic look. "I'm sorry! But I think we could all really benefit from helping a person in need in that way. I- I think you could - you just managed it last night, didn't you? And with Penny. And with Blake. Your progress is wonderful, but you need _more_. You need to learn to connect, to help people for the sake of it - not _just_ because they're friends, or because to help people indirectly is to go out killing monsters just to satisfy yourself. That's not the _point_ of being a huntress, Cinder: the point is the helping in and of itself."

"Fine," Cinder sighed. "Okay; I'm outvoted. We'll...go search and rescue some poor person."

"It's a _good thing_ , and you'll feel good about it once we have," Pyrrha said brightly. "I promise! You'll even want to do it again."

"Okay," Cinder repeated, much more firmly. Like it or not, it _was_ her first mission - her first _real mission_ , a major stepping stone in becoming a huntress. And for that reason alone, she had to make sure she didn't fail it! In fact, she needed to do the opposite: pass it with flying colors, and utter _perfection_!

"Personally, I'm in agreement with your team leader, Miss Aryle - it's a wonderful opportunity for you to continue to grow, and broaden your horizons."

Cinder whirled, tensed - then, she relaxed, immediately bowing her head. "Professor Ozpin, sir."

Ozpin stood before her, examining her with casual, kind eyes. Beside him was another man, another huntsman - dark haired, maybe late thirties or early forties, clad in black pants and a gray shirt, over which he wore a tattered red cloak.

Cinder noticed this other man eyeing her, and she dipped her head further, staring at her own feet as discomfort and anxiety rose in her.

"A simple mission, all in all, but one that requires urgent attention, and one that I'm certain will serve you very well," Ozpin spoke on. "I'd like to introduce you to the veteran huntsman you'll be following the lead of in the course of this mission; this is Qrow Branwen, a former Professor at Signal, our intermediate combat school. On this mission, you will follow his every last order - unless you feel there is a very good reason to disobey, such as to protect or save an innocent life. If he reports to me on your return that you did not, there will be severe repercussions for you. One potential consequence would be that you won't be allowed to go on another mission for the remainder of this year. Life as a huntress requires a certain degree of responsibility and maturity. Do you understand?"

"Yes, of course," Cinder murmured, still not looking up. "I'll listen to Mr. Branwen's commands."

A sigh from the huntsman, a hand raised on edge of Cinder's vision (she flinched, hopefully not too badly). But he simply scratched at his head. "Mr. Branwen...Oz, what is it with you and teaching these kids to act like they've got these huge sticks up their-"

"What he's trying to say is that he would prefer it if you simply called him Qrow," Ozpin interjected, amusement in his voice.

Cinder nodded to her feet. "Yes, sir - Qrow. I apologize."

Another sigh, greater than the last. "You sure this is the one you told me about?"

"Quite so, yes," Ozpin said mildly. "Over the next few hours together, I'm certain you'll be able to get a glimpse of her when she's out of her shell. Believe me, when you do, it's a wonder to behold."

"A wonder, huh..." Qrow laughed. "Guess we'll see about that. Welp, if that's introductions out of the way, what's say we get this show on the road - eh, kids? The mission won't wait for you."

Pyrrha stepped forward, extending her hand. "It's a pleasure to..." She trailed off, her eyes widening.

Cinder glanced up, and saw Qrow drinking from a flask. She had no clue why it was making Pyrrha have that look on her face; she was, herself, just plain confused. She wasn't going to say anything, though. Not to a teacher, a professor - an adult.

Qrow gave Pyrrha a sidelong look, lowering his flask. "I've already got you pegged as the one with the biggest stick of all. Of course that means you were the one to be made leader. It's always those types, isn't it?"

"I'm...sorry...?" Pyrrha said, half offended, half bewildered.

Qrow sighed again, shrugged his shoulders and hunched over, putting his hands in his pockets. He strode past them, glancing over a shoulder as he walked. "Come on, then - but don't walk too close to me, I get claustrophobic."

"We'll do our best to be conscious of your-" Pyrrha began, only to break off again.

Qrow was snickering to himself as he continued on.

Pyrrha looked _outright_ offended now, and a bit flustered, but she said nothing.

Cinder felt the smallest smile threatening to form on her lips. She raised her head and hurried to keep up with the man (her teammates following suit).

Behind her, she heard the soft murmur of Ozpin's voice. "Good luck."

Ahead of her, Qrow gave a sudden snort, shaking his head to himself for some reason.

* * *

They boarded the airship, which took them out of Vale, beyond the kingdom.

On out, far away, to a small village down south, in the middle of the forest's vast stretches - endless miles on all sides, broken only by occasional rivers and lakes.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Cinder turned from the window and glanced at Pyrrha, seated beside her in the airship. She shrugged - tried to smile. "I guess. It's just more trees to me..."

Pyrrha gave her a look that was almost sad. She took Cinder's hand, gave it a squeeze and a stroke of a thumb. "Does it...remind you of- where you grew up?" She caught herself after a quick glance at Emerald and Blake, and Qrow, lowering her voice significantly.

"There were trees there," Cinder murmured, considering. She hesitated, and then she leaned over and put her head on Pyrrha's shoulder. She continued on in a near whisper to her, embarrassment welling up in her soul. "Other kids got to play around outside - around this big tree - and I didn't. They didn't like me - liked to tease me, push me around - and the adults...liked to punish me a lot. Especially if I hit back."

"I'm sorry."

"You're always sorry..." Cinder shut her eyes, enjoying the warmth of Pyrrha's skin against her cheek.

"I'm-" Pyrrha stopped herself. She laughed softly. "I know. I can't really help myself."

"Hmm. Tell me when we get there - I'm taking a nap. Right...here..."

"All right." Pyrrha's hand came up, and patted at her head - took up stroking her hair.

Cinder smiled, relaxing all the more against her...girl friend (the thought so easy in her mind, to cause an affirmation of a flutter in her stomach). And then the other part of her had to chime in and remind her that she didn't deserve this - that she wasn't worthy of it. The fluttery part of her told the other part to shut up, that it wasn't true anymore. She _did_ deserve this. And she was going to enjoy every second of it.

The Vale airship descended after several hours, at last, setting down in a small clearing next to the village.

Qrow was the first one to disembark, taking a long swig of his flask, and taking long strides out ahead.

Cinder hopped out and strode after the huntsman with her team.

Several villagers immediately came running up to them - well, to Qrow.

"Are you the huntsmen team we requested?" a woman spoke, tensed.

Qrow pulled a scroll from a pouch and showed it off to her; the woman gave it a close look and a nod, her face breaking with relief. "That's us, alright. Here to help - so what's the situation now?" His voice was kind but firm, his lips became a winning smile as he straightened up and stowed his scroll away. Without the hunching (or little stumbles), he really did look like an impressive enough man. And huntsman. There was an easy strength to him, a confidence radiating that Cinder could feel. That she would have liked for herself to have. "Any grimm attacks in the past twenty-four hours?"

"None at all. No Ursa, and not the Sabyr packs." The woman shook her head. She looked as sad as she did relieved about this. "It could be because she managed to calm herself out there, find a place to hide - a cave, or up in a tree. She's been taught to, trained to! We all are, out here. But...it's also possible she..."

Qrow gave a grim nod, but not one untouched by that enduring kindness. "Yeah. Got it. But, look, no matter what, we're going to be-"

"So who are we looking for?" Cinder asked the woman.

Qrow turned, giving her a dirty look and a shake of his head. "None of you even bothered looking into the situation - riiiight. Here's a tip: always do your research before heading into a mission."

"We just _got_ our mission-" Cinder protested, incredulous.

"And you had nearly four hours on the airship to consult either me, or your scrolls," Qrow interrupted, rolling his eyes. "Instead, you spent all that time making fuck-me eyes and secret chatter with your girlfriend." His eyes strayed to Emerald and Blake. "And unless the four of you are in one big happy ladies poly relationship, the two of you weren't doing anything better, either." He shook his head once more at them. "Unlike you, I actually bothered to call ahead and get the necessary information."

Cinder's lips twisted, her fists clenching. Then, she let it go with a breath. "Of course - I'll be sure to do that next time. But for those of us who don't have that information..." She looked to the villager.

Qrow did, too. "You'll have to excuse them - it's their first training mission. They're complete rookies."

The woman didn't look too enthused about that. She sighed, then addressed Cinder. "It's my daughter, Azul. We were out there together, I was teaching her how to hunt, and she...became distressed at her first kill. She ran off, I tried to find her, I tried to- I knew the chances were high that the grimm were going to be drawn to it all. To us. To her! Out there...But I couldn't find her. That was yesterday evening. We've had search parties out all night, and all day so far, as well. Small ones - we're a small village, but..." She reached into a pants pocket and pulled out a scroll. Tapped at it, and showed it to them all. It was a picture. A picture of the woman herself, and a child. A little girl.

"How old is she?" Cinder spoke, her stomach twisting as she gazed at the picture.

"She's seven."

"She's probably already dead," Cinder stated flatly.

Gasps and _looks_ from her friends; Cinder cringed under it all, her stomach twisting up even further.

Qrow sent her a very _sharp_ look, a shake of his head.

Then again, didn't Cinder herself know that little girls could be quite resourceful - motivated, if necessary...?

The woman put her scroll away and held up a hand. "No, she's right - I know that. Living out here, where that's a daily threat, just going about normal life...I know. We all know it. A helpless, small child, after this long alone...even with the training we try to instill in our children. But even if she is, I just want to know for certain. I want to find...something. If there's a body left, or- a scrap of clothing. That's how we do things out here."

"We'll find _something_ ," Cinder said quickly, wanting to make up for her blunder. Wanting to change the way her friends were still _looking at her_ (and Qrow). "We'll join the next search party - we can keep the grimm at bay for much longer than any of you could, I'm sure. That _is_ why you requested huntsmen help, isn't it?"

"That's right. Thank you. That's all I could hope for."

Cinder tried to smile. "You're welcome. So let's get out there; there's no time to lose." She moved for the nearest treeline, only to be stopped by Qrow. A hand grabbing her arm.

"You're getting way ahead of yourself there, kid," Qrow said firmly. "Can't have a search without organizing it first. You don't just walk off into the woods, hoping to stumble onto a missing person. You do it right, and you do it methodical. Or you just make yourself another lost person - and someone else to save from the grimm infesting these woods."

Cinder pulled out of his grasp, growling. But the look he was giving her...She sighed, and bowed her head. "Right, yes sir, o-of course...I just don't think we should be just sitting and waiting with a missing child out there."

"Nobody feels that more than Ms. Aster, I'm sure," Qrow spoke, still in that firm tone of his, giving a nod to the villager. "But if you want to help, you do it properly. We don't need more problems in a situation like this. You hear me?"

"Y-yes..."

"Good." Qrow went and put a hand on Ms. Aster's shoulder. "If you could get us up to speed on how you're coordinating your efforts, Ms., we could be out there as soon as possible."

Ms. Aster nodded. "Thank you - please, follow me to the chieftess's home."

"Lead on." Qrow gave a look back at the team. "Keep up - and keep quiet, would you? You're here to learn, so watch and learn. We don't need any more stupid comments."

Cinder flushed, staring at her feet very intently. _Dammit, of course I screwed up first thing. Well, I won't let it happen again!_

* * *

Two hours later and the team, plus Qrow, were split off and separated.

One huntsman to provide firepower to five different search groups of villagers.

A set plan, a direction to go for each.

Focus on nooks and crannies, and the tree branches above.

Places a kid could and would hide from the monsters roaming the forest.

Cinder's group moved further south from the village, traveling alongside a river channel.

She tried to stay with it, she tried - she _did_! But thoughts kept intruding. Thoughts about how much time was being wasted, thoughts about how it was probably pointless, thoughts about how all of this for a corpse was even more pointless.

And then, when a young man moved around a large boulder with a fallen tree across it, coming up two smaller boulders side by side, several things happened at once.

A high voice whimpered and cried out nearby, the man turned back to the group to call out, "I found her," and then multiple sleek, dark shapes emerged from behind trees and out of brush with a loud howl.

And suddenly it was chaos, it was screaming, it was blood, it was people falling all around Cinder, dropping as those dark shapes rushed past, blitzing in and out of the bushes and between trees, only glimpses of four legs and evil glowing red eyes caught. These people had no _Aura_ , they were helpless, they were useless, they were _all dying and it was Cinder's fault-_

Cinder pulled out her blades and slashed on pure instinct and muscle memory as three of those dark shapes came for _her_! She slashed one along its flank, twisting out of the way of its tackle attempt. She sliced another one in the neck after leaping away, then turned and kicked the third in the face. She raised a hand and activated her Fire Dust, preparing to blast fireballs at these grimm. But one of them suddenly narrowed its eyes, and then lunged for her arm! Its jaws clamped around her wrist, its whole body pulling her arm down. Her Aura flared from the pressure, those sharp teeth digging in, trying to break it to find flesh and bone. Cinder brought her free hand around and stabbed her sword into its head, twice over, frantic now. Panicking.

She stumbled and whirled away, and she was immediately assailed by multiple Sabyrs. Left and right, back and front, they raced all around her, dashing in and out of sight to strike her with claws on her legs and backside!

_No, no, no - I'm not losing to common cat Grimm!_

Cinder cast Lava and Fire Dust onto the ground in a half-circle in front of her and backflipped, triggering it all; two unlucky Grimm who had leapt for her were caught in the explosions, and killed.

A high scream pierced the world.

Cinder turned, and spotted a dirty, bloodied child in a crevice between the two boulders. A space far too small for any adult to get into - maybe even too small for Cinder. Too small for the Sabyrs, but not by much. But for this girl? Not a problem for her.

Cinder stabbed both her blades into a leaping Sabyr. It took her to the ground, but she got her legs under it and kicked it off herself, flipping to her feet again. She looked all around herself, at the dead and the dying, at the Grimm still circling her - there had to be a dozen or more - and then she looked at the kid again. What was that name again? Azul? And the way the child was looking at _her_...

Like Cinder was her last chance, her only _hope_ , the one single thing that might...

Azul suddenly burst from her hiding place, running and stumbling for Cinder.

Low, monstrous snarling filled the air, and several Sabyrs raced to intercept the girl - to take her down, to kill her at last.

Cinder snarled right back, drawing her bow and notching a black metal arrow in an instant of superhuman speed. She fired precisely, letting it loose to slam into the flank of a Sabyr going for Azul; the Grimm fell, rolling and tumbling, but not yet dead. She notched another arrow, firing it off immediately, snapping her gaze to the next target. The second arrow struck the Grimm in its hind leg, and it skidded in the dirt and yowled with pain.

And Azul, who had kept running the entire time - likely not even seeing or _caring_ for the Grimm coming for her - slammed right into Cinder. Arms and legs wrapped around Cinder's body with a death grip.

Cinder immediately dropped low and did as she'd seen before from others with children around Vale, and scooped the girl up into her arms properly. At least, she hoped it was the proper way to do this! It probably wasn't, as the girl's arms went around her neck like she was terrified of Cinder dropping her, and her legs went around Cinder's waist like a new belt. It was completely unsuitable for combat, Cinder thought with frustration. There wasn't going to be any Dust weaving with a child literally pressed against her clothes, and she was a bit wary of the idea of trying to use her swords for the same reason (what if she accidentally cut the girl?).

A Sabyr snapped its jaws and bounded for them - three others followed its lead.

Cinder drew back a new arrow, letting it loose. It flew straight for the Grimm on the left, embedding into its throat.

Cinder pulled another, let it fly: the middle Sabyr darted left, its evil eyes narrowed, and then lunged forward! She leaned back and lashed out with a foot, kicking it under the chin and sending it flipping into the air. She pulled a third arrow, aimed up at the airborne monster in an instant of superhuman reflexes, and let it go; it flew high, and hit home, piercing the underbelly.

The third clamped its jaws around her leg, sparking her Aura again.

And then two more were taking advantage of this, tackling Cinder down from behind before she could turn! Cinder collapsed with a hard _oof_ , sprawled atop the child. She couldn't work like this! But, at the same time, she knew if she just threw the kid off that she would be an easy target for the Sabyrs - at least this way, they were just _one_ target to the stupid Grimm. She held an arm across the child's backside, rolled over and kicked at the Grimm, bursting her Aura through her foot and sending it flying into a tree. She rolled backwards and backflipped to her feet, keeping her grip firm on the girl. She smacked her bow right into another Grimm's face with another exertion of Aura to send it flying. She needed room, she needed space, dammit!

She wasn't going to fail this mission, she wasn't going to fail herself, she wasn't going to fail- _this girl! This child who needed her! To save her, to help her, to take all her fears away, and give her comfort and hope instead._

That was what a huntress _did_ \- they gave a hope of _life_!

It was what Rhodes had done for _her_ as a little girl, years ago now!

Cinder twirled around to avoid a leaping Sabyr, kicking it in the side as it flew past. She threw herself forward as another came flying by her. She pulled another arrow, spun around and fired into its hindquarters. She pulled another, instant, and shot at the one she'd kicked as it was recovering, shaking its evil head. Her arrow struck it in the side of the neck.

Cinder swept her gaze quickly around the area, taking stock of the situation - of all her enemies.

The girl let out a cry and clung to her even harder as a Sabyr howled with rage and frustration.

Cinder gave her a pat, a stroke, and realization bloomed in her mind. _Why am I even fighting them?! I need to save her, get her to safety - killing them doesn't even matter! It's just keeping her in a place where she's in danger, keeping her in the same situation even longer...That's what matters,_ that _is what I shouldn't fail at! Her! I shouldn't fail_ her _!_

"Azul - I'm going to take you away from here. A-and I'm not going to let them hurt you. I promise!"

Cinder whirled, and she ran.

She leaped over fallen logs, over bushes, between trees! She leaped high and grabbed a branch, swinging herself forward and launching with an Aura boost. She soared through the woods and came down running onward.

The Sabyrs were in pursuit, she could hear them.

She gave a glance back, notched and fired off an arrow that hit a tree as a Sabyr dodged it.

And she kept running.

Cinder took a Sabyr strike across the back, her Aura shearing away and flaring bright. Two assaulted her legs, felling her.

She glanced ahead as she burst into a clearing. She could see Pyrrha, see her search party, no doubt drawn by all the noise, or maybe it was sheer coincidence of proximity...

Cinder hauled herself to her feet, pulled the girl free with overwhelming strength, and then she hurled her several dozen feet with a mighty heave. Pyrrha caught the girl with swift movement and precise reaction time, and retreated with her. Though her eyes never left Cinder. Cinder tore her blades off her belt and stood freely now, slashing and stabbing at the Grimm, kicking and lunging, even after her Aura shattered, and they began to get in bites and slashes at her bare body, drawing copious amounts of blood and throbbing agonies. At least it was her taking it, and not the girl. Never the girl, never again. She stabbed both blades into a Sabyr's side, turned and threw it into another, and she leapt in and rammed her sword down through the skull of the dazed one.

It evaporated, and she whirled and swung her blades for another Grimm, swiping through swirling black particles to decapitate it as it made to leap high and clamp its jaws around her throat.

Cinder killed off the final few Grimm, but getting incredibly thrashed for it. Torn to bits for her troubles. Left off very much worse for wear, in her opinion.

Cinder staggered forward on a limping leg, every step a fresh wave of pain.

Pyrrha gave a quick glance around them, passed the girl off to the villagers, and then she was running to meet Cinder. "You're bleeding!"

"I noticed," Cinder said dryly, and she fell into Pyrrha's arms.

* * *

After being bandaged up back at the village, Cinder lay in a bed in a spare room at Ms. Aster's home. The least she could do, the woman had told her, for saving her child's life.

Soon enough, however, she couldn't stand it, and she had to move.

She got up, clutching her sides as her back seared and her torn legs took the pressure. Cinder walked out into the main area of the house, finding the others there. Qrow, her team, Ms. Aster - and Azul.

Qrow looked at her with equal parts exasperation and amusement. "Hey - you're going to reopen every last wound we just spent an hour patching up-"

"Can you teach me how to use a bow like you?!" Azul pounced on Cinder like one of the Sabyr Grimm, racing up to her, gazing up at her with flushed features, with wide, sparkling eyes, and with a giant grin on her face. "You were so fast, so _cool_ \- not even my mom could do anything like that! When you kicked that one and then hit it when it was up in the air, or when you-"

"Wh-what? Okay, slow down!" Cinder stumbled back, holding out her hands. She crossed her arms, wincing at the pain and staring down at the girl. She breathed a painful breath, and slowly squatted down in front of Azul. "So, you want to be a huntress?"

"Yes!" Azul nodded enthusiastically.

Cinder smiled softly, and reached out to touch the girl's head. She patted her, gave her hair a stroke. "Then you've got ten years."

"For what?"

"To train up for the huntsman exam." Cinder hesitated, then took her bow off her back and held it out. Azul gazed at it, then took it in hand with absolute reverence. "Keep it - use it. You're not too far off from where I was when I first started my training; I started when I was ten, and I kept it up all the way until I turned seventeen. And on my birthday, I just went for it. And I got in. If you can do the same, I'm sure you'll get in just as easily as I did. And I'm sure...that you'll become a great huntress."

Azul cradled the large bow, staring at Cinder now like she was some kind of goddess. She looked about to _cry_!

Qrow was also staring at Cinder, looking shocked out of his mind, his jaw hanging open.

Cinder stood hastily, gritting her teeth as her back tore anew with pain. It wracked her whole body, and a groan finally broke free of her lips. "Y-yes, well, right...there you go. I need to- go and rest now. Pyrrha, please help, I think I'm going to pass out..."

Pyrrha rushed forward and seized her arm, supporting her. "I'm here for you. Let's get you back to bed."

"T-thanks..." Cinder gasped, leaning on Pyrrha as she escorted her from the room.

Behind her, Cinder heard a surprised noise from Qrow, and a mutter from the man.

"A real wonder, alright..."


	20. Vytally Important Matters

"So, hey, it's been a while now since our last move - our only move, I might add - and I'm starting to wonder if we're ever going to make our next one!" Roman strolled up to Kari, cane held at his side. "Mind filling me in on phase two of your grand master plan? Details, sweetheart?" he continued on.

"We're waiting for the Vytal Festival," Kari answered, meeting his gaze and stepping forward. "There's someone that Salem wants under her employment; I'm going to have my best chance at recruiting this person during the festival."

Roman took a step back at _her_ step forward, putting his cane behind his back. "Great to hear! Anything I can do to make it all go smoother? Or, Neo, if you need her again?"

Kari considered. "Actually, yes. Neo might be able to help me get what I need again."

"Good! 'Cause she's perfectly willing!" Roman yanked Neo forward, grabbed her shoulders from behind and pushed her out in front of himself. "Isn't that right, Neo? Totally willing - no problems whatsoever!"

Neo huffed silently, crossing her arms. Then, she sighed. She gave an exaggerated nod to Kari.

"Hehe, she wasn't too happy about having to play the damsel role, you know that," Roman said, laughing nervously.

"She won't have to again," Kari assured simply. "She won't even get hurt this time. But it will take time, and patience. Especially with who she's going to be dealing with."

"Who?"

"Cinder Aryle."

"Woah now, that one crazy bitch who came at me like a bat out of hell?! You want to put Neo with _her_?"

"Neo will be doing nothing but befriending her," Kari replied. "She won't be hurt - if she plays her role properly."

"A con job? Neo's never done one of those before - but, I've got the fullest confidence in her to pull it off! But, uh, speaking of the job...what's the role - and the goal?"

"Listen closely," Kari began, eyeing the young woman.

Neo obeyed, giving Kari her full attention.

* * *

Amarill's blond hair swung and bobbed as her body's repetitive motions continued.

She shifted on hands and knees, gazing at the wall and waiting for it to end. For him to end.

She let her mind go blank, her ears filled with only the music blaring from the damaged stereo.

After he had, a green lien card was tossed onto the bed, and the door creaked open and then closed again.

Amarill flipped over onto her rear, taking the card and leaning back against the wall, her legs sprawled.

The door opened again.

Amarill looked up, card clutched in hand. "Hey, Silvia."

"Hey." Silvia Blackwood came to sit on the bed. She picked up the articles of clothing from the floor and handed them off to Amarill.

"Thanks." Amarill kept the card near her as she dressed again.

Silvia eyed her in silence a moment. "You know you'd get paid a whole lot more if you put more enthusiasm into the job. And do you have to play this shit every time you get a customer?" She reached over to the dusty nightstand and smacked the stereo, silencing the music.

"Yes. It helps me focus."

"On what?"

"Not focusing."

Silvia snorted. "There you go. That's why you're shit at your job."

"This isn't a job, it's-"

"What?"

"Hell."

Silvia laughed, shook her head. She pulled a cigarette from her pocket and lit it up. "You do what you gotta do to make it down here. And you're barely making it, even here. I see why you couldn't even get a job in retail."

Amarill pushed her hair behind her head, sighing. She was well used to Silvia's puts downs (all of which were solely based on where she knew Amarill had come from). And she at least appreciated that Silvia had taken her in at all (something the older girl had only done because, in her own words, "I'm not going to be as heartless as an Atlesian like you"). "Hey...Silvia?"

"What?"

"You know that girl on the news a few weeks ago - the one who made that big speech, out of Vale? The huntress? Cinder?"

"Yeah?"

Amarill took the plunge. "She's my stepsister."

Another laugh. A puff of smoke. "Sure she is..."

"I mean it!" Amarill snapped. "She's the reason I'm here. She joined the family when I was twelve - she was ten, at the time. But no one ever treated her like family. I...I didn't," she admitted, in a very small voice.

Silvia's eyebrows furrowed as she peered at her. "Shit, you're not lying."

Amarill took a breath, looking at the wall once more. "I'm not. Did you listen to her speech at all? She mentioned - me. My sister Violeta and I, and our mother. The things we did to her. D-dog on a shock collar, telling her no one loved her, that she was worth nothing...but that wasn't even the half of it, over all those years..."

"Why're you bringing any of this up now?" Silvia said sharply. "You're just making me want to punch you in the face more than usual, you realize this don't you?"

"I know that. I want to punch me, too. Because...I know it was all wrong. I started to realize it first, when I was sixteen. I tried talking to my sister about it, but she didn't see it like I did - told me to not bring it up with her again. So I didn't. And much later, I tried talking to our mother about it. This was months ago, j-just after Cinder left us. Mother was talking about getting a new one. A new- girl. A new worker-"

"Slave."

"Servant-"

"Slave - say it, Atlas girl."

"S-slave, then. Anyway, I asked her not to, I tried telling her how I felt about it now, but she didn't listen. She just got mad, and then it was like she saw me how she saw Cinder all this time. This- hate, and...and disgust. Real disgust. We fought, and she threw me out by my hair. Literally. That was when I really, really realized it."

"My heart just goes out to you..."

Amarill pressed on. "And now I still feel so- so terrible about everything. I feel sick, knowing there's some other girl up there right now being treated like Cinder was. And after seeing Cinder on TV, hearing her message...I want to find her and tell her how sorry I am for it all!" she finally blurted it out.

"If you really are, then go to her. Say it. Go to Vale. It's that simple."

"It's not simple when you don't have money anymore..." she muttered, turning the green card over in hand. Food for another week or two, but nothing much else. "I could have hopped on a flight before without thinking about it."

"Poor you," Silvia scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You do too have money - just not enough to fill a bathtub anymore. Anyways, if you really meant any of that, you'd find a way to make it happen. Earn more, save up - and go do it."

Amarill brushed a layer of dust off the mattress, swiped at some dirt with a finger. "It's funny. I treated her like dirt before, and I had everything. Now she's some famous huntress prodigy at the finest academy in Vale, and I'm down here in the dirt..."

"Funny? Nah. That's just universal karma."

"Yes. A-and I deserve it all."

"From the sounds of it - and the look of those neck scars she showed off on that broadcast - hell yes you do."

 _Find a way to make it happen..._ _Even if you won't listen to me, even if you won't accept it, I have to say it to you..._

* * *

"H-hey, could I...talk to you? Somewhere private? Please?"

Cinder raised her eyebrow at Jaune Arc. He hadn't been at all the person she'd expected to find outside her dorm room. Especially at this late hour. Especially not with his weapons on his belt, and his armor donned. "Okay..."

She strode out the door, pushing past the boy and stalking down the hall. She took him up the stairs, all the way up onto the rooftop of the dorm building.

She emerged into fresh night air, and leaned against the wall, hand on hip, gazing at him. In the silence, she was momentarily distracted by a black bird fluttering in to perch above the doorway to the stairwell. "Well, what is it?" she spoke, breaking the silence after mounting impatience.

Jaune glanced at her, glanced away. He strode a few feet away, then came back again. Clearly worked up, distressed. Whatever was going on. "I- a few weeks back, on Ironwood's ship, you know you were...incredible, amazing. You were everywhere at once, you were taking people down like it was nothing. With those swords of yours."

"I was, wasn't I," Cinder agreed absently, smiling.

"Yeah, and...I wasn't. I was next to useless. And next to you, I..." Jaune sighed, threw up his hands and wheeled about. "I could be here a million years, and I'd never be half as good with my sword as you are with yours! What you did - what all of you guys did up there on that ship - I couldn't do in a million years! You all... _You_ most of all, deserve to be here. You...you know, you came from that- from Atlas, from- from scars and struggles, and you're here, and you earned it...and I didn't."

"What?"

"I- I don't belong here. I never...I cheated my way into Beacon," Jaune said quietly. "I lied, I- I got my hands on fake transcripts, and I _lied!_ "

Cinder let her hand fall, stalking forward very slowly. She reached up and seized the boy's jaw, forcing his head straight. She gazed into his eyes. She smirked at him. "Well that...explains everything about you, doesn't it?" She let him go, and gave him an absent push in the chest that had him sprawling on the roof. She stepped on him, crouched low over him and held an arm out; a glass blade was crafted from Dust. She held it across his throat, an inch from touching skin. "I'm _good_ , yes, but for someone to be just _so easy to put down_...why, I wonder how I never realized it months ago!"

"Y-yeah, rub it in my face, okay..." Jaune muttered, resigned. "I deserve this, too."

"Yang would appreciate your guts."

"Maybe. But none of the others would. If Ozpin found out, he'd kick me out."

Cinder pulled her blade away, turning it around absently in hand, examining it as another girl would her nails. "He would, wouldn't he? And you are right: you should be expelled for this. You're putting your entire team in danger by being a useless _idiot_ ," she added angrily. "Teams are supposed to rely on each other, friends are supposed to be there for each other - care about each other! You must not care too much for yours, if you're willing to let this farce continue - let them all keep going out there with a weak, sagging fourth corner of their well rounded team. What if one of them gets hurt? What if one of them _dies_ _?_ What kind of friend are you?!"

" _I know, okay! I know!_ " Jaune shouted, rising. Cinder slammed her heel down on his chest, pinning him back to the ground. "That's why I...I came to you, alright? I- I wanted to ask you- to teach me. Train me. To use a sword half as good as you do. If you do that...I won't be a liability anymore. I won't be a danger to my friends. I'll train every day, however long it takes! Please."

Cinder blinked down at the boy. She let her sword dematerialize into glowing embers, and got down and straddled him. She leaned low, grabbing his throat. She caressed his face, his hair. She breathed an inch from his face, almost touching noses.

"Um...w-what're you even- what point are you trying to make here, exactly?"

" _Your_ _point_ ," Cinder smirked. She pressed her lower body to his, arching her back.

"Wh-what're we doing here? Are you- are you..." Jaune burst into laughter, head turning aside. "Right, right, it's _you_ \- what am I thinking? You're just...just screwing with me again, huh? Haha, funny, get me all bothered and hoping...then snatch it all away. I know how you work! But this time, Jaune's caught onto it!"

"No, no you haven't - so, same as ever," Cinder mocked. She grabbed his face and turned it straight again, and then she pressed her lips to his. "So tell me now...am I just playing around with you?"

"I..." Jaune drew the word out, his eyes bulging. And it wasn't the only thing now, if Cinder's grinding hips were telling her anything useful down there. "I think you're...actually serious here. And that's- kind of amazing. I never thought _you_ would ever even look at _me_ twice. Jaune Arc! Let alone...wow. It's like my greatest dreams..."

"You dream about fucking me?"

"I- I'm sorry!" Jaune said meekly, shrinking under her. "I- I mean- I don't dream at all, I don't even- think about- not like I'd-"

"I'm so _flattered_..." Cinder breathed, ecstasy flooding her body. She pressed another swift kiss, then sat up on him. "And impressed."

"Well, yeah, right back at you..." Jaune flushed.

"As expected." Cinder pulled her dress up over her head and tossed it aside, and moved to get to work (in the perfect silence, that black bird gave a loud squawk and fluttered off).

Only a minute in, and the realization struck Cinder like an airship crashing: It wasn't the same.

_It wasn't the same!_

Not even with other _girls_ was it the same!

None of it was the same...the same as when Cinder had been with Pyrrha! That first time with anyone, that time with _her_! They hadn't even gone nearly this far together, but even that didn't matter - because _none of these people made Cinder_ feel _the way Pyrrha had!_ It was the _feeling_ , in her soul - that Pyrrha had given her, just by being with her, close to her! But that feeling...it had been absent for every single one of these encounters since.

No matter what boy, what girl, or where, or what they even did together.

It just didn't...feel the same.

Cinder stopped completely, stood up off Jaune, pulled on her clothes and kicked him in the ribs. "Get up: time to see what you can do with your _other_ sword."

"Aww crap, I knew you were just screwing with me!" Jaune hurriedly pulled up his pants, jumping to his feet, alert again. He took his weapons up and went into a sloppy, stupid combat stance.

Cinder eyed him, then summoned a secondary blade. She twirled them both absently, and began circling the boy. Utterly languid movements, every step of her heels making soft clicks. A ruffling sound, and she saw the damn bird was back - perched above the door once more (it must have been a favorite spot for birds). She debated shooting a fireball at it, but decided against it: it was harmless, and kind of cute. In absence of any human friends at the orphanage, she had occasionally opted to try making friends with the mice in the barn, and a few times, a rare fox caught running about. A stupid, desperate little girl's attempts at companionship - all of which had failed.

"Uhhh...so how are we going to-" Jaune started nervously, drawing her attentions back to him and away from childhood memories.

Cinder slashed him across the back, tearing a gouge in his armor and causing him to yelp. She kicked the back of his knee and grabbed the back of his head, bending low and putting her blade across his throat. "Are you _kidding me_?" she hissed in his ear. "You don't even have your Aura up?!"

"I w-was just about to!" Jaune exclaimed, gulping.

"Better hurry, then..." she murmured, beginning a slow, centimeter by centimeter drag of her blade across his flesh. Precise and light enough to leave nothing more than a bad papercut. But it did make the boy hiss and squirm. A moment, and his pure white Aura shimmered across his body. "Good. Now we can actually start." She bent her knees and flipped herself over his body, coming down facing him from the front. She kneed him in the stomach, punched him across the face, slashed her blade over his chest to flare his Aura brightly, and then she twirled him around and threw him against the hard wall beside the stairwell door.

Cinder pinned him there, tearing his arm up behind his back and planting a hand on his armored upper body.

"C-Cinder, h-hey, I don't think this is how you're supposed to train somebody..." Jaune's voice wavered, his face planted against the wall. "I mean, Glynda's never done this sort of thing with us..."

Cinder smirked, and put her lips to his ear again. "This is how _I'm_ going to train you. If you don't like it, you can always leave Beacon. Because, let me tell you this: I'm not letting you just go back to your team how you are now - you'll get them all killed that way."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Oh, _so much_ , yes..." Cinder breathed. "But that's not relevant to _you_."

Jaune squirmed, shoving back at her - and getting face-planted again very roughly. "Kind of feels relevant to me..."

Cinder drove her knee into his lower back, spun him around and stuck out her leg, sending him sprawling onto his face on the ground. She was on him in a flash, putting her blade's tip to the back of his neck, a knee in the square of his back. "Are you even _trying_?" she said, irritated. "Do something!"

"What do you want me to do?" Jaune protested. "I can't just-"

"Anything," she huffed. "Try _anything_." Jaune struggled under her, but didn't even come close to knocking her off; Cinder sighed, and stood up off him. She grabbed his hand and pulled him up too. Then she let her blades turn to nothing. "If you can't even master hand to hand, you won't be able to do a thing with your sword. You have to master your body first before trying to make a weapon an extension of it," she spoke quietly, recalling words said to her in earliest training sessions with Rhodes (his explanation to her on why she couldn't just have the sword again and use it first thing).

"Then I've got even longer to go with this..." Jaune sighed. He looked at her, suddenly determined. "Let's go again then. I'll- think of something."

Cinder blinked, surprised. "Hmm. Okay, then. Let's see how you handle this..."

* * *

"I want to date you!"

Pyrrha turned as Cinder reentered the dorm room after two full hours, blinking at her with surprise. Then, she smiled. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! I finally figured it all out!" Cinder exclaimed, triumphant. "Nothing I've ever done, nothing I've ever felt, was like what I felt with _you_ that night! Even just- dancing with you - not even the part where I was holding your butt - how I _felt_ was just so different. It was better, it was fuller, it was warmer, it was...and I haven't felt like that one single time since, with any boy _or_ girl! It's- it's- Pyrrha-specific!" Cinder exclaimed, laughing to herself. She threw herself at Pyrrha and wrapped arms around her neck, gazing into her eyes. And the _feeling_ was back, it was _there_! Even just this!

Pyrrha laughed too, and wrapped her arms around her waist. She gazed back at her. "I'm so happy you've figured yourself out. If you want to be in a relationship with me, I'll be very happy to! H-honestly, I was...sort of waiting on you. I wanted to give you your time, your space, and I wanted to see if maybe...well, it seems like you have...I'm glad."

"So, we're girlfriends now?"

"We are, if you want to be."

"Please."

"Then we are, most definitely, girlfriends."

"Can I kiss you, please?"

"Of course."

Cinder obliged, delight and tingles and thrills racing over her body. It was all there!

"Ah, Cinder, if we are going to do this, then we need to discuss a few things together. Can we sit?"

"Yes." Cinder obeyed, following Pyrrha's lead in sitting on her bed.

Pyrrha took up Cinder's hand, looking her in the face. "You know that there are different kinds of relationships - different rules to different kinds of dating. And to different people."

"Yes..."

"Well, the kind of dating that I...would like to do...is called monogamous relationships. It's the most common kind on Remnant - though, all kinds are accepted! Especially in Vale!" Pyrrha went on quickly. "What it means...is being dedicated and faithful to one person alone. For you, Cinder, it will mean that you can't go off having intimate encounters with other people at the same time as you're in a relationship with me. You can't go off having sex with whomever you please anymore. It...it will hurt me, Cinder. It might even- really make me angry and upset with you. It's seen as- a breach of trust, of commitment, and even a betrayal. Do you understand this?"

Cinder nodded slowly, thinking. "So...I can only have sex with you from now on?"

"Not just sex - it includes kissing as well," Pyrrha said evenly, nodding. "But that's right."

"I'm okay with that. But what am I supposed to do if I want sex and you don't?" Cinder voiced nervously.

"Well, you've gotten very good at pleasing yourself, haven't you?" Pyrrha said, with a little laugh. "It's not any kind of betrayal to do what you like with _your own_ body. It can even be fun to do that _with_ your partner, in its own strange way! Just, you can't go off using anyone else's! It's perfectly fine to do that with _yourself_ , whenever you like and however much you like still - all right?"

"Okay." Cinder smiled. "I can live with that. Sure. I'll be...committed. Not a problem!"

"Alright, then I think I can safely declare us official, starting now." Pyrrha held their clasped hands between them, and leaned in to kiss Cinder's lips. "Just remember that if there is anything you're not sure about, anything at all...just talk to me. Communication is _the most important part_ of any relationship. Especially romantic ones. We can work through anything together, we can discuss anything you like. Just come talk to me. Don't be scared, or embarrassed, or anything. I'll never judge you, and I'll try my best not to be upset about anything either."

"I've never had an issue talking with you," Cinder replied, her smile growing. "I don't think that's going to be a problem for me. But - thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Blake!" Emerald exclaimed suddenly, leaping to her feet and stalking over to the girl's bed. "Let's go do- literally anything else but be here right now."

"They aren't going to just start doing it," Blake said, amusedly turning a page of her book and shaking her head. "We're safe for tonight. Aren't we?" She added, with a small grin Pyrrha's way.

"O-of course," Pyrrha stammered, nodding, her cheeks flushed. "Not...nothing tonight. We need to...get used to the idea of being in a relationship first. Is that acceptable to you, Cinder?"

"Sure," Cinder said casually, shrugging. She was really just happy that Pyrrha had said yes at all to dating to be too upset about not getting to immediately be intimate with her again.

* * *

Cinder strode the streets of Vale on a wonderfully warm summer season's day.

Passing people, weaving between them, enjoying sight and sound and smell. Food from a bakery, ambient vehicles, conversation - a common black bird perched on a signpost, which fluttered off to another one as Cinder passed it by.

She arrived at her destination, walking into her favorite clothing store; she leisurely began pacing the aisles, browsing the stock.

"Look who it is - my favorite customer!" the man at the register exclaimed, with genuine delight. "What'll it be this time, eh? Twenty different sets of colored skirts?"

"You know I'm a dress girl - not so much skirts. Not like you." Cinder laughed, flashing a smile. "A few more dresses to add to my collection wouldn't go amiss, though. I like the one you have in the window today - much more than the previous one."

"Hey, a man's got his tastes. Think I'd be working here if I didn't? Anyway - had a feeling that one would catch your eye," the clerk grinned, rubbing at his beard, his eyes twinkling. "Just came in from Vacuo - latest design. Expensive. But it's getting real popular over there. As you might've noticed, it's not going to be wearable _here_ for too much longer. We're about into Fall now; there won't be much time left for bare arms and midriffs around _this_ city..."

Cinder gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Perks of being a huntress - my Aura protects me from terrible weather. This girl can wear whatever she likes, whenever she likes; I could stand in winter in practically nothing."

"Heh, is that so? Still wouldn't recommend it, kid. Seems like a real stupid idea. But then what do I know? You kids do the stupidest things just because you can..."

"Oh, quiet," Cinder chortled, shaking her head and striding down a new aisle.

"You know, seems like you're in a _great_ mood today - mind sharing?" he called out to her.

Cinder smiled widely. "I just got this girl I love to be my girlfriend last night," she called back.

He laughed. "Yep - that'd do it for just about anyone. Congratulations, kid."

"Thank you!"

Cinder moved down a new aisle, strode past a girl who looked about her age - strawberry hair in pigtails, bright blue eyes. The girl was holding out a shirt, inspecting it closely; she nodded to herself and took it off the rack.

When the girl turned, not even looking, she smacked right into Cinder.

"Watch where you walk," Cinder said, annoyed, only barely managing to keep her balance.

The girl's cheeks flushed, and she looked at Cinder with great remorse. Her big blue eyes blinked rapidly. Her hands came up at her chest, joining.

Cinder sighed. "It's fine..."

She walked on. Then she stopped, wheeling back around again. She was feeling pretty good today, really - generous.

"What's your name?"

The girl draped the shirt over an arm and whipped out a scroll, rapidly tapped at it with nimble fingers, and showed it off to Cinder.

A text message read: **It's Onyx. :)**

Cinder nodded. "Okay...why not say it out loud?"

The girl - Onyx, apparently - gave a genuinely _angry_ look. Then, she sighed, shaking her head. Some more lightning fast texting, and she shoved her scroll in Cinder's face a second time.

**I can't - thank you!**

"Okay," Cinder sighed as well, flushed. "My mistake. If you can't, then you can't. But can we make this a little easier for both of us? Here: I'll give you my scroll code, and you can just send your messages to me directly."

Onyx nodded, enthusiastic, and waited on Cinder; Cinder gave her the numbers, and watched the girl then type out another message.

Cinder's scroll chirped, and the words appeared for her on her screen: **Got it - thanks! Much better! ;)**

"Sure..." Cinder agreed, smiling at the girl. "So, you're doing a bit of shopping?" she went on, gesturing to the clothing item Onyx had on her arm. "Is that the kind of thing you like to wear?"

Onyx gave another nod, swift and excited.

"That's good - but what about this?" Cinder strode down the aisle and pointed at a lengthy, intricate gown of blue and green with many slits in it, exposing skin in highly strategically chosen places. "How do you feel about this?"

Onyx inspected the gown, then grinned and offered two thumbs up.

Cinder grinned back. "I thought so." She did a double take and reached for the gown, running it through her fingers. "Actually, I'm taking this." She pulled it off the hooks very carefully, folding it up in her arms. She thought it would make a good dancing-with-Pyrrha dress, if they ever did that again. She could press flesh with her without even having to take the thing off! She imagined Pyrrha sliding her fingers into the slits, touching her sides, her hips, her lower back as they swayed and spun...Pyrrha would surely appreciate the easy access.

 _Oh_ yes _, this is mine now._

Cinder was taken out of her own fantasies by her scroll beeping three times in a row. She glanced down at it.

**So, can I tell you something?**

**I need you to keep it a secret - I know it's a lot to ask from a stranger!**

**The thing is: I'm from Atlas...**

Cinder narrowed her eyes at the girl. "You're from Atlas?"

Onyx caught a glimpse of her face, and texted rapidly again. **I wasn't a stuck up rich girl - I saw your broadcast a few weeks back. I'm actually...the sort of person you meant to hear it.**

Discomfort rose to replace anger. Cinder flushed, looking down at her feet. "You- you mean you were mistreated by them?"

Another beep; Cinder watched the words appear on screen, keeping her head down.

**Yes. :'(**

Cinder looked up, finding a deep frown fixed onto Onyx's face. "I'm sorry. No girl should ever have to suffer under those damn arrogant elite types. Did you...come all this way just for me?"

 _Beep._ **I had to! You inspired me, you inspired so many people! I had to see you, I had to meet you - at least once. I asked around this city and the clerk told me you frequent the place; so I decided to come in every day and wait for you.**

"How long have you been doing that for?" Cinder asked, taken aback.

 **Over a week now. But I finally met you. :) It all payed** **off.**

Cinder smiled, nodded. "It did. You don't have to worry: I'll keep your secret. In fact, we don't even have to talk about Atlas if it makes you uncomfortable," she went on quickly. "Let's just...keep talking about fashion! Want to try some things on with me? They have wonderful dressing rooms back over there..."

The way Onyx's face lit up spelled an obvious answer to the question.


	21. Urges And Wants

"Going into Vale again?"

Cinder glanced at Pyrrha from the dorm room's doorway, pausing on her way out. "Yes."

"You've been doing that quite a lot lately. Far more than usual - even for you."

"I know." Cinder said nothing more. She had been meeting with Onyx almost daily now. Talking with her, spending time with her. Onyx had asked her to keep not just her life a secret, but that she was meeting with her at all. She was afraid of word getting back to anyone in Atlas. Afraid of a public eye cast on her - said she wasn't brave like Cinder. Cinder had told her otherwise.

Talking with Onyx really was putting a bit of a damper on Cinder's good spirits, though. The girl reminded her of how many other people really were still suffering out there, back in Atlas. Onyx had asked, more than once, if Cinder could ever go and help them personally. With her skills, her power. The fight of a huntress. Cinder had had to refuse her, every time. She wasn't even graduated yet, she wasn't strong enough yet to even take on people like Ironwood alone. She couldn't yet. But it chafed at her, it made her hate herself. It made her feel _guilty_.

But Cinder knew she wasn't ready yet. She didn't have the power, the skill, the freedom of movement...that the life of a full fledged huntress would give her. And without it, she was so, so afraid that if she tried to go and do anything for anyone _now_...she'd just fail.

And she refused to fail.

"I'll be back in a few hours," Cinder told her team, before she left them behind.

* * *

"I told you, I can't yet."

Cinder glanced at her scroll after exiting the clothing store with Onyx, and sighed.

"I'm not even done with my first year yet," she continued, looking away from the girl as they walked down the street. A black bird fluttered nearby, landing on a lamppost. "I can't do much good for anyone if I'm not strong enough yet - if I'm not skilled enough yet to-" _Beep._ Cinder glanced at the new message. She growled and tossed her head, glaring at Onyx. " _I know_ I could do a lot of good on my own out there - and that's my plan, okay? I just- can't get to it just yet! I'm not _ready for it yet_. How many more times do I have to say it?"

_Beep._

**But if you _could_ get stronger, more skilled, right now - wouldn't you? Then you _could_ leave Beacon and go and help everyone who needs you out there!**

"If there was some magic way of getting ten times stronger, or faster - then, sure," Cinder replied, exasperated. "Of course I would - in a heartbeat! - but there's not, so I can't. I'm sorry," she added, looking away once again. "People are just...going to have to wait a while..."

Onyx suddenly clung to her arm, blinking up at her with those big blue eyes of hers. Shimmering eyes. Lips pursed into a frown.

"Okay, listen, let's go find some more places to have fun," Cinder said quickly, shaking her off. "Let's just- not talk about this again."

Onyx gave a nod, fixing a big smile to her face.

* * *

After some fun times in an arcade, Cinder parted with Onyx for the night and headed back for Beacon (well, for an airship to take her back to Beacon).

A familiar voice came to her in the fading light, on a vacant street.

"So, how proud of yourself are you?"

Cinder turned, then she smirked and relaxed, setting a hand on hip. "Adam Taurus - is that the only way you know how to greet people? From shadows?"

Adam took a step forward out of the alleyway, into dim lighting from a streetlight. "A partial necessity - but it's also just how my people have been forced into behaving. Hiding in shadow, avoiding abuse and ridicule by the human masses."

"Yes, I can see how anyone in the White Fang would want to avoid being seen in public," Cinder nodded, her smirk broadening.

Adam's lips tugged into a small grin. "Heh, no points for figuring that one out. Did you run off and tell Blake about me? And she told you, in turn...about me?"

"She told me about your previous partnership, yes," Cinder stated casually. "She also told me she doesn't agree with the way the White Fang is fighting for yours and her people's rights in this world."

Adam's grin faded, and his head dipped ever so slightly. A hand raised, curling into a fist. Then, it relaxed, falling to his side again. "Did she also tell you that she _disagreed_ so much that she abandoned the entire cause, fled from the fight for our people - to run and hide with _humans_ like you?"

Surprise bloomed in Cinder. Her hand fell from her hip, and she stepped forward. "Blake was in the White Fang with you?"

"She failed to mention that little detail, then, did she?" Adam laughed. "Always the coward, Blake...running from family, from every last problem in life, and even from the fight. From the people that need her to stand up for them...or stand beside them," he finished, in an angry mutter. "And apparently, running from her entire past so severely that she'd hide it all from her own team of righteous huntsmen. The people she's meant to trust the most - and who are meant to trust _her_ with their lives. That is the huntsmen code, isn't it? But...if she isn't following it...she hasn't changed, then. She abandoned me, abandoned all of us, our entire _fight_! Make no mistake: she'll abandon you, too, Cinder. Give her time, and when it gets too tough for her...she'll leave you alone."

"I..." What could she say? She didn't _know_ Blake, obviously! Not nearly as much as Adam did. So painfully clearly, right then. Cinder took a breath, closing her eyes briefly. "I don't want to talk about Blake - did you come all the way just for that?" she spoke on, mocking.

"You're right: that's not what I'm here to talk about with you." Adam inclined his head at her, and took a single step forward. "I'm here to talk to you about the other girl - the _one_ you've been with all evening. Congratulations, you've managed to draw one single girl to you - and you didn't even save her yourself. She came to you all on her own. How much did you pat yourself on the back for that one, for sitting back and doing nothing, telling yourself it was something?"

"Shut up," Cinder snapped. "You don't know anything about Onyx. Or me."

Adam smiled. "My whole life now, I've been out there fighting for my freedom, my rights, and those of my entire people. All those who can't defend themselves, can't fight for themselves. I'm out making a real difference. But you...you're sitting high in a human academy, doing nothing for anyone. Not really."

"Give me a few years, and I'll be doing the same as you," Cinder replied sharply. Onyx, Adam...why did everyone just seem to think she should just...?!

"People won't wait for you - they won't wait a few years. Mine don't - humans don't, when they hurt us. Surely even you should know that," he spoke quietly, nodding to her self evidently. To the exposed neck scars.

"I know!" Cinder snarled.

"Then why are you holding yourself back? Why are you letting anyone hold you back?"

"Because I need to- I can't just-" Cinder struggled, grasping.

"What? Try and be a good girl for everyone? For head pats and praise?" Adam scoffed. "You're willingly submitting to chains. It's just sad."

"I _need_ to learn these skills, I need this strength, before I can go out and just start-"

"Is that what you tell yourself? How you keep yourself in check? Your skills are formidable enough already; you could beat me, given time..."

"I _did_ beat you!" Cinder burst out, stamping her foot.

Adam grinned. "I allowed you to beat me."

"No you didn't!" Why did everyone keep saying _that_ to her, too?! Blake, Adam? Wasn't it clear she'd won?

"Whether or not you believe it is up to you. Just as it's up to you what you do with your life. Hold back, keep yourself down...fine. But you're doing no one who's suffering right now any favors! If you truly want things to change, to protect those lives, then you need to step outside that academy of yours, and go out there and _do it_. Take action, take initiative. Only those strong enough, brave enough to try, are the ones to change the world. We in the White Fang are the ones to do this for our people. For those who can't."

"I know that-"

"I saw the look in your eyes." Adam cut across her once again. "I saw the way you held yourself, how you swung your blades. You want to kill, to smite the unjust as only you can, but you're _still holding yourself back!_ The only way to protect people is to permanently remove the people from this world who oppress and abuse them! They'll never be safe otherwise!"

"Are you saying you're upset that I held back against you?" Cinder said innocently. "Well, if you want it, then next time I _won't_ stop myself from removing your head."

"I'm saying...that you're acting like nothing but a foolish girl," Adam said evenly. "You lack the will, the true strength of spirit to carry out what has to be done. You let your own doubt and fears, and the doubt and fears of your friends...hold you back. You want to save people, change the world, but you're too afraid of what the world would think of you to go through with it in the way that people _need from you_."

"You don't know what you're talking about! I don't _care_ what the world thinks of me, just...certain people..." Cinder finished, lapsing into a murmur, her cheeks burning.

"Oh? I don't know what I'm talking about?" Adam paused. He took another step closer, and another. His hand slowly came up, and pulled the mask away. "Are you sure about that, Cinder?"

Cinder stared. _S.D.C?_ "You...you were- they _did that to you?!_ " she exclaimed, sickened and enraged.

"Righteous fury - good," Adam nodded, giving her a full-faced smile. "But it isn't enough on its own. You need the will to see it done onto the world, to express it to those who need to... _feel it_."

Cinder looked away, her fists vibrating. "I just c-can't- I have...I'm trying to be..."

"A good girl, I know." Adam's voice came, contemplative. He strode forward, and she looked into his face fully. "You and I are so very much alike - except that I've been actively fighting for the abused for years, while you're just...not there yet. Too timid to take the leap forward in life. Too afraid to be what people _really_ need you to be. Not some girl on a screen who makes speeches that sound nice and passionate - but a girl willing to step between them and their oppressors with a blade in hand. A girl willing to swing that blade to her heart's content, until every last one is at her feet. If you won't free them, then no one will."

"I..." Cinder grabbed her arm, ducking her head. "I don't want to- let my friends down...they're scared of me, when I get that way..." She voiced the secret worry, the worry she'd noticed much more frequently since the rescue of Penny.

"A lot of people get scared of us when we do things like that. They'll say it isn't necessary, or right. But they're afraid of the action itself - never mind the context, or the results. It's generic moralizing, all nice talk in a vacuum. But we don't live in a vacuum, Cinder. Those of us who can see what's going on, and what has to be done...to save ourselves, and _others_..."

Adam replaced his mask, turning away from her. "If you can't commit, you'll do no good for anyone. Find the will, find the strength - if you can. Make them all pay, make them all see how wrong they are to abuse the helpless, to make victims of little girls the world over. And dissuade the others from trying to continue the same course of action. Make them all think twice. And _never_ worry for what others think of you - because you know what you're doing is just and right, laws be damned."

"I went through seven years of torment for the chance at being a huntress!" Cinder shouted, the words bursting from her suddenly, passionately. "I'm not just going to throw it away now that I'm here!"

Adam stopped. He looked at her over his shoulder. His mouth twisted. "So that's it, is it? This whole thing is just...a selfish wish, and an escape route! You don't even truly hold any desire to help others like you! Or like me - or Blake!"

"I didn't, until recently," Cinder admitted, ashamed. "But- I have helped people! I saved a friend, Penny, from the Atlas military. She was created, used by them - a synthetic person with a soul! And I- I took the chance of saying what I did on that broadcast because I _did_ want to help! I wanted to give people hope, I wanted to inspire. I wanted to _help!_ And I will help, but...I need to become a huntress first."

"And there it is: You need to fulfill your own selfish goal before dedicating yourself to selflessly helping others. And you're not willing to give that up." Adam's voice dripped with disgust. "You only helped this Penny girl because it was convenient to you - because she was a _friend_! But you're never going to stick your neck out for a stranger! Everyone else can keep suffering, because they're nothing to you! No relation, no connection, no emotional attachment!"

"I had thought what you lacked was willpower, motivation, but it's not that at all," he continued. "You could perfectly well go out and do it - you're just unwilling to turn from your own desires! Tell me again how you aren't like every other human out there? You won't help us because it would screw up your own happy life here! Anything else is just an excuse to not have to step outside of it, to even sacrifice something for once!"

"I'm _sorry_ , it's just that I've never _had_ anything to sacrifice before; but if I can just-"

Adam held up a hand, fist clenched. " _Stop._ We're done here. You're of no help to _anyone_ , and you have no real desire to be. Keep your perfect little life, human - don't trouble yourself to step out of your comfort zone for the sake of any one of us faunus. Or even any human slaves. You're clearly one of those with the attitude of, 'screw you, I have mine.' You've made it, you're in luxury, and you don't care for anyone who's still down in chains right now. Well, I won't waste any more of my time appealing to you again. It was a mistake to even think you could truly be any different from the rest of your kind. You're just as selfish and self-centered as the rest of them."

" _Listen, I just-_ " Cinder started furiously.

"I'm _done_ listening to you." Adam growled, hand briefly going to his sword hilt. Then he turned, and walked away.

Cinder stood alone, putting a hand over her throat and staring at the ground.

 _I'm not like everyone else. I'm different, I'm better - I know I am! I just know I need time, or it's going to fail! I'm not selfish - I saved Azul, and I'm going to save plenty of others in my life as a huntress! I just can't do it_ right this second, dammit _!_ _I just...I just...I know what I want, I know where I want my life to go! That's it; he doesn't know me, why should I care what he thinks?! About me, about how I'm choosing to do this, the path I chose for myself to save people! Onyx, Adam...they just don't understand how idiotic it would be for me to just go out and try to take on the entire Atlesian society and military on my own! One girl can't do it alone, not even one huntress! I only saved Penny because I had others behind me for it! I would have failed even her on my own, if I'd tried. Yes, that's it, that's it: I'm not letting anyone pull me from my path - goading me into going off half-cocked! That's the path of failure! It's stupid! And I'm not going to be a stupid failure, no matter what! I'll do this right, not wrong!_

And so what if Cinder enjoyed herself along the way? So what if she indulged in pleasures and joys? Hadn't she fought and endured and earned it all for herself?!

It wasn't _wrong_ , and she refused to let herself feel guilty over it!

She held her head high and walked on.

A black bird cawed, and took flight from a nearby rooftop.


	22. Bonding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the last chapter was so short I decided to just go ahead and release the next one in the same day! It's a good 7,000 words long, so a pretty substantial one! It's dense, even if it's only two real scenes! But important ones, DENSE ones! :) :) : ) :)

In a dimly lit bar in downtown Vale, Cinder hurled the dart after triggering her Semblance to light its tail up, and with a tiny nudge of her mind, it flew home - striking the center of the board.

"You want to play flaming darts, you're going to have to pay for all those before leaving, girl," the bartender spoke gruffly, shaking her head at Cinder. She crossed large, muscled arms, not having to try too hard to look intimidating!

"I can cover the costs," Cinder replied simply. She turned a victorious smile on Onyx. "Want to go again?"

Onyx smiled warmly, and nodded with enthusiasm. She took up a dart, flipped it in the air and snatched it as it came back down. Furrowed brows and expert fingers held the dart, and then released it; it zipped across the room and hit the center of the board right beside Cinder's, knocking Cinder's arrow loose. Onyx looked absolutely _smug_.

"You're really good at this," Cinder admitted, surprised. And a bit put out. She picked up a new dart and twirled it between her fingers. "But I'm still going to win again!"

Cinder lost their second game - but only because her Semblance used up all her Aura! She lost their third game spectacularly, as well. At which point she quit, and went to get them some food and sodas. She'd have to let it recharge before playing again, or she'd _keep losing_.

"I love these," Cinder sighed, taking a long sip from her straw. "How about you?"

Onyx grinned and downed half her cup in one go - slammed it down. She put her hands in her lap, legs crossed, and gazed around the bar with vacant eyes.

"Hey - are you...doing okay?" Cinder said awkwardly. "You look- distracted."

Onyx blinked, looked at her. She just smiled, gave a little wave, then picked up her drink again to finish it off.

Cinder sighed. "Are you...thinking about Atlas?"

Onyx gave a careful nod.

"Sorry..." Guilt again, worming in her stomach.

Onyx shook her head, brushed her hair behind her ear. She smiled and reached across the table, grabbing Cinder's hand. She stood, pulling her with her. She dragged her over to a green table of cloth, whose surface was sunken in, with high railings on all four sides. Onyx walked over to a rack and took up a long stick.

Cinder gabbed one off the rack herself, turning to Onyx and holding it like a staff. "Are we fighting?" she grinned, excitement rising.

Onyx blinked at her. Then she laughed in that silent way she had, clutching her sides and shaking her head. She bent over the table and reached for a tall, thin plastic triangle that held multiple glossy spheres in it of different colors. They had different numbers on them, too. Onyx carefully lifted the triangle away, then whipped out her scroll and started furiously typing away at it. After a solid three minutes, Cinder's scroll received a message.

Cinder stared at her scroll, biting her lip. It was a _very_ long message.

**It's a game - it's called pool! Have you never played it? I play all the time! I'm a master. Here are the rules - we'll play a simplified version...**

Cinder swiftly read her way down the list of bullet points. Then, she read it all over twice more. _Simplified, my ass._ Finally, she nodded, and looked at Onyx, pocketing her scroll. "I think I've got it..."

Onyx nodded, flashed a smile, and then walked her way around the game table. She positioned herself, bent over, and held her stick (apparently called a "cue") aimed at one ball apart from the rest. She hesitated, eyes narrowed, then she made her move. The balls rolled in all directions - none of them went into any of the side pockets. Onyx straightened, resting her cue and giving Cinder a nod - another smile - encouraging. It didn't seem to bother her that none of them had gone in.

Wasn't that the point, though? To get all of them in before the other player, and win the game?

Cinder stepped up to the table, imitating what she'd seen from Onyx in bending over it and lining up her stick with the white ball. She rammed it forward sharply, sending it shooting across the playing surface. It bounced off the edge twice, and rolled right past the other balls before coming to rest in the middle of them all. She growled low in the back of her throat, whipping her body up straight and stepping back.

Onyx gave her a thumbs up and strode around the table once more, her eyes scanning over the scene expertly. She struck again with her cue, and two colored balls were ricocheted into two different pockets.

_Dammit; I'm not losing my first game!_

Very upsettingly, Cinder _did_ lose her first game.

She stalked all the way back to their table to retrieve their drinks, came back and slammed them down on the side of the game table, and lifted her chin at Onyx. "Let's go again," she said firmly.

Onyx grinned, nodding, and set the game up again.

Cinder played as best she could, but she _still lost_. She demanded a rematch once more, and they played a third game. Which she also lost. Onyx tried to encourage her - even texted her some tips - but Cinder felt herself just getting more furious with it all. Especially since several people at nearby tables were _watching her game._ Watching her _fail_ , over and over! Cinder asked for a fourth game; it was here that she finally won, beating out Onyx very narrowly!

" _Yes, I won - I'm getting good already!_ " Cinder exclaimed, ecstatic. She grinned at Onyx, flushed with triumph! She twirled her stick and laid it over a shoulder like a resting blade.

Onyx gave her a big smile, then turned her head away briefly, a little motion detected in that short time.

Cinder glared. "Did you just roll your eyes at me?"

Onyx shook her head furiously.

"You'll see what a mistake it was after I beat you for a second time in a row!" Cinder said fiercely. "Let's play again - I'll even beat you more than you have me! You'll see!"

Onyx complied, with another shake of her head and a little sigh of pure air.

They played again, and Cinder won _again_!

On their sixth match, Onyx beat her soundly again, breaking Cinder's winning streak.

Cinder growled and stalked away to get more drinks. When she came back, she found three new people around the pool table - a trio of men who had come from one of the nearby tables. She'd spied them spying on her and Onyx - caught some laughs and chattering, too. Mocking her - _her_! For her losses! Her failures!

"What?" Cinder snapped out, eyeing the men up. "Can't you see we're playing here?"

"I think there's room enough for all of us," spoke one man, friendly and calm. He looked to Onyx. "You're good - real good. You play professional?"

Onyx shook her head.

"Would you mind if we played with you the next few rounds?" the man went on, still friendly. "We might be able to give you some tips - we're pretty good, too," he added to Cinder, earning a glare in return.

Onyx nodded to the man; Cinder clenched her fist, and let a breath go. "Fine - we'll play with you."

"Glad to hear it. Let's get this set up then." The man nodded, moving to reset the game table while his fellows grabbed cues.

It became clear just by Onyx's reaction during the game, that these men _were_ varying degrees of good. The one who'd invited himself to the table, Morado, was the best of the three - he beat Onyx, and then she beat him. Onyx had to really focus, and after her win she gave Morado a little grin and a nod of respect.

Cinder went up against one of the other men, and she lost again - badly. She whirled away from the table, snarling to herself.

"Hey, you don't have to get that way about it, you know," Morado said lightly. "It's just a game."

Cinder turned, and curled her upper lip at the man, clenching her stick tight. She was going to snap it in two...

"Here, come here, let's give you some pointers," one man said, quick and exuberant, putting his hand on her back and pushing her toward the game table again. "We'll have you winning in no time, girl...what's your name?" he asked, after a pause, a bit slurred.

"It's Cinder," she gritted, stepping forward until she felt that hand leave her body.

"Did your parents name you that after or before they realized you had such a fiery personality?" the man replied, laughing. "Fits like a glove..."

"I wouldn't know," Cinder growled. She slammed her stick down on the table's railing, gripping it and gazing at the colored balls. She breathed, let it go. Did it a second time. She forced a smirk, turning to look over a shoulder at the man still hovering behind her. "Are you here to talk, or to play? If you're afraid to lose to me, that's fine - we'll just keep chatting..."

The man laughed again, coming forward and brushing against her. He stood next to her, looking at the table. His hand came up to rest on her upper back. "Let's show you how to do this."

"I _know_ how to do this!" Cinder shrugged his hand off, taking a step to the side to put distance between them.

"Right, right...just a few tips, is all you need...No need to get all upset."

"I'm. Not. Upset."

"You seem pretty upset," Morado spoke up, in a light tone, holding up his hands at her. "Why don't we take a break?"

"No! Just- let's just keep playing."

Onyx looked at Cinder with concern. Her eyes flickered to the man on Cinder's right - with even more concern. Narrowing of those blue eyes of hers.

"Come on, let's simmer down and let's show you how to play." The man's voice again, his hand on her back again. He took the cue stick and began moving it. "See, you have to make sure it all lines up here, and then you put your body like this..." That hand applied pressure, and began sliding down her backside.

Cinder jerked upright, whirling and shoving at the man. " _I don't need help, I'm not some idiotic little girl!_ "

The man looked her up and down. "Definitely not," he agreed. He smiled at her, striding closer to her and sidling up beside her again. He payed a glance over to the bar counter; Cinder followed his gaze, finding it empty (the bartender must have gone to the back room). Then, he put a hand on her back _again_. "Try not to be so angry, Cindy - let's just-" The hand fell from her back, and found purchase again far lower, through the thin fabric of her short red dress.

Onyx was suddenly _right there_ , her expression hard as stone; her hand flashed out behind Cinder's back, and the man cried out and stumbled away, holding his wrist in great pain.

Cinder stared down at Onyx, surprise and gratitude intermixed.

"Vale's just full of bitches, isn't it?" the man growled, shaking his head.

"Hey!" Morado said firmly, coming around the table and grabbing the man's arm. "Beryl, keep your damn hands off the lady - she's clearly not into it. We're leaving. Now. Roux - help me with him, we're not-" He began to address the third man, who was standing away and apart, looking uncertain.

"She's not into it? You shitting me? You see that dress? Barely covers that ass of hers. She's been teasing the whole bar, and she knows it." Beryl pulled free of Morado, stalked forward - towering over Cinder with a furious look on his face. And then, very deliberately, he reached for her and grabbed at her chest. "Bitch needs to know her place-"

_"I suggest you remember your place."_

Cinder swung the cue stick up viciously, upper-cutting Beryl with it and sending him stumbling backwards. She lunged forward and smashed it across his face, screaming; he fell aside and smacked into a table. She snapped the stick in two with one hand, letting the halves drop to the floor. Then she lit up her dress in the dark bar, orange light casting off. Her fists were shrouded in flames. She seized the man and punched him in the face, square in the nose. She did it again, and again, and then she spun him around and hurled him across the bar. He flew over the counter and slammed into the shelves, glass of bottles shattering all over him, liquid drenching. Cinder splayed her hands and mixed in Earth Dust, forming twin glass swords.

The third man, Roux, reached into his coat and pulled out a sword of his own. An Aura flared up over his body, a dark green color.

Onyx came flying in from the side, flipping over the pool table like an expert gymnast, her legs twirling in a blur. The man's weapon was knocked from his hands, and then he caught a boot in the side of his head. Onyx flipped herself onto the floor and began throwing punches and kicks at the man, lighting up his Aura.

 _Onyx can fight? And fight real_ good _?_ A dim part of Cinder thought, amazed.

Cinder took a running leap across the bar, flipped down off the counter and slammed her boots down onto Beryl's head. She pinned him to the wall with a boot to the chest and shoved her blade in his face. " _Who's the bitch now? Who is it that should remember their place_ **now?!** _Go on, tell me again!_ "

Beryl grabbed her leg, an Aura shimmering on his body. He shoved away at her, sending her stumbling into the counter. Cinder backflipped up onto it, then again to come down on the floor on the other side. Beryl flung himself across it at her, rage on his face.

Cinder caught movement from corner of her eye; Morado was approaching with his hands up. She kicked at Beryl, slashing viciously across his body and whirling toward Morado.

"H-hey, I'm just-"

Cinder threw herself at the man, blades swinging.

He dodged and weaved, frantic, panicked. "Please, just let me help get him under control and we'll-"

Cinder slashed at him twice, not connecting! She twirled and kicked him in the chest, then closed the gap and drove her knee into his stomach. She seized his shirt and slammed him to the floor. Either he had no Aura, or he wasn't using it - there was no flash of energy on any of the impacts!

He gazed up at her, his arms held up. "Please, just-"

Onyx was suddenly there, a wooden chair held up high over her head. A big grin on her face. She brought it down on Morado's head, sending him unconscious, reducing it to splintered pieces.

"Thanks," Cinder said sincerely, heaving a breath. She gazed around the bar; Onyx had apparently taken care of the other man, Roux - he was slumped in a corner with a table collapsed onto him.

That just left Beryl, who was getting to his feet with a snarl, his eyes fixing on the two girls. He pulled a knife tipped with Dust, and slashed it through the air.

Cinder twirled her blades, stalking forward, shrouding them in flames...

" _Everyone stop!_ " A loud voice yelled, as a large figure came rushing out from a door behind the counter. Blue energy rippled through the bar, faster than Cinder could react, and suddenly...she found herself unable to move.

She tried, she damn well tried - but nothing worked.

The bartender came forward, huffing at the scene. An Aura flared on her body, too. She walked up to Cinder, her jaw clenched. "Here's what we're going to do: I'm going to let you all go, and _you_ are going to tell me what started all of this. Was the print on the no weapons sign outside the door not large enough for you all?"

A blue wave of energy was cast out again, and suddenly Cinder could move again.

She sagged where she stood, letting her weapons turn to nothing. She straightened, and turned to Onyx. Back to the bartender. " _I_ didn't start this," she hissed, holding her head high. She threw a glare at Beryl, who was keeping his distance now, even after being freed of the bartender's Semblance. "He did!" Cinder paused. "Apparently, consent isn't a very important issue with him; he couldn't stop putting his hands on me. I wasn't going to just stand around letting him grope my tits - or did you want me to?" she challenged furiously.

The bartender looked to Onyx. "Is that true?"

Onyx nodded firmly, her eyes still hard.

"Is this true?" The bartender addressed Beryl, striding over to him and putting her face in his.

"The lady's psychotic - couldn't handle a little bit of flirting, and that's not _my_ fault-"

The bartender shoved out at Beryl, then seized his arm and started dragging him toward the door like an unruly child. "Thank you for being a moronic prick - I have your ID scans - and don't ever come in here again. Expect a visit from Vale police in the next few hours at your place of residence." The woman hurled Beryl out with a mighty swing of an arm. She slammed the door shut and came back over to Cinder, her harsh expression now something soft. "Sorry you ever had to deal with _that_ in _my_ bar. Was it just hands, or is there anything else?"

Cinder blinked. Why did adults keep surprising her? "Uh...just the hands - kept touching my back. Grabbed my breasts. That was the final straw for me..."

"All right." The woman stooped to pick up Morado's unconscious form, and slung him over a shoulder. She went and retrieved Roux, putting him on the other. She put them both outside, then threw their weapons out after them. Finally, she turned the lock on the door. She went to the counter and poured a glass of water, and offered it to Cinder - along with a seat.

Cinder sat on a bar stool, taking the drink. "Thanks..."

"No problem."

Onyx hopped up beside her, leaning forward and putting her chin in her hands. She kept giving sideways looks at Cinder, worry evident on her face.

Cinder surveyed the bar in silence, and she let a long breath go. She set the drink down with shaky hands, let her forehead drop to the counter top. _Oh god._ "Shit, shit - I'm s-so sorry, I- ma'am I never meant to break- I'll clean it up, I'll pay for-"

"Don't worry," the woman said simply. "A little damage is nothing next to defending yourself against _that_. I'm just glad you handled yourself, K?"

"I'll f-fix it, I'll fix it-"

"I said don't worry. I can cover it myself." The woman's voice, firmer now.

Cinder winced, putting her hands over her head. She sighed, and nodded. "Yes, okay...t-thank you, thank you..."

"You want to hang around a little while longer, or get back to wherever you live?"

Cinder raised her head. She looked at Onyx, then at the pool table. "Could we play another game? We didn't get to finish..."

The woman smiled. "Have at it."

Cinder stood, moving for the game table again, with Onyx close at her side.

Cinder won four games in a row, and she felt a lot better for it. No more shaking, and a smile she was able to give to Onyx again.

* * *

"...Remember rule number one: don't go getting attached to the poor sap you're telling a sob story to!"

A silence beyond the dirty old door in Roman's grimy Vale crime headquarters building; Kari stood still, superhuman ears listening in from the hallway.

"You're _already_ -? Neo, look, just put it all outta your mind for me here - got it? If Ms. Silvers gets wind of this, she'll probably just cut your head off! You need to compartmentalize a little, think of it as nothing but a game!"

A much briefer silence, and a loud banging noise - a table, something slammed.

"I know, I know it's like all the things you never got in your life, I understand you perfectly on that - and I'm happy for you! You think I don't enjoy myself when I get to do all those things I never could before in my life? But just because you're having a good time doesn't mean you should be getting lost in caring about the-"

Roman cut himself off. Another silence, a very lengthy one. Then, he spoke on in a mutter of disbelief. "You want me to _what_?! No way, not even for you - not for _her_! I'm real sorry, sweetie, but I'm not going to risk-"

Kari swung the door open, and strode in.

Roman swung around, cane gripped in both hands before himself. His face changed from one of distress and worry, to false cheer and warmth. His entire demeanor, swapped out on a dime. "Kari, dear, how's it going today? Any big plans to share? Any updates? Or are you looking for an update out of us? Neo's making good progress, I'd say! All fine and dandy right here!"

Kari took the hilt of her weapon off her belt, and tapped the button: the three sections of the blade extended out, and locked into place at its full length.

Neo hopped off the crate she sat on, and put herself at Roman's side. She was holding her umbrella in hand, her chin raised.

Kari looked at them both. "Cinder's going to serve Salem, in time," she stated flatly.

Roman's face changed. He glanced at Neo, who looked at him with pleading eyes. Roman sighed, and took a step forward. The backs of his hands were white on his cane. "So..." he started, faux casual. "Just so we're clear on this: you're just going to set the kid up to be handed over and enslaved by the queen of grimm, while you skip off and have a happy life? That's your exit strategy? Damn, that's cold...just _cold_."

Kari blinked at Roman. "What choice do I have?"

"The choice where you...I don't know... _don't_ do that?" Roman suggested cautiously.

"Salem wants her, and she'll get her, no matter what I do or don't do," Kari murmured, glancing down and away.

"Sure, but that doesn't mean you should hasten it along, does it?"

"Are you actually arguing for the life of a random girl you've never met before? Is that compassion?" Kari retorted, a hint of sharpness seeping into her voice despite best efforts.

"One: never said I was heartless, and, when we're talking about a humanoid grimm queen, you want to really triple check your thinking on things," Roman responded. "And two: I've met this one - remember?"

"I thought you were all about escape plans: this is mine. Give her to Salem, get away myself, and Salem will have her new servant. And she won't be able to send her after me; she's not strong enough yet. And I have the Maiden powers."

"Give a teenager over to the grimm queen who leads the legions of unending monsters that ravage our entire world, destroying and killing everyone and everything in their path. Like I said: Cold. Even for me."

"But you'd still do it, wouldn't you?"

"Oh yeah, definitely - but, not without some second thoughts along the way."

Kari glanced at Neo, catching a change in her posture. A flash of an expression across her face. "You're having _second thoughts_ as well?"

Neo huffed, strode forward and shoved her scroll in Kari's face. On the screen there was an image, of herself and Cinder, smiling and joking around together in the middle of a shop, posing stupidly in frilly lingerie. And beneath it were the words: **You're the one who wanted me to bond with her! It worked! And at the end, after all that, you want me to throw her to an eldritch bitch and forget I ever knew her? I owe her better - the world owes her better. Like it owes _me._ And this isn't what I signed on for - ancient demons and magic! >:(**

"Are you both saying...that you're refusing to do what I want from you?" Kari said slowly, anger rising as she gazed from one to the other.

"No," Roman responded swiftly, stepping forward and pulling Neo away - putting her behind himself. "Just saying that you might want to...do some triple checking on your little plan here. Make sure you can actually sleep at night once you've gone through with it. Make sure you maybe even...have to do it at all. Why not let the kid be, and get away from it all without even messing with her? Hey, you're all about that efficiency crap, aren'tcha? Is it more efficient to screw a kid over on the way out, or to just get out and don't look back? You have the power of a damn demi-goddess now, and you're still dancing to Salem's tune? Maybe you aren't as strong willed and powerful as I thought - or intelligent."

Kari fought with herself, lips trembling, then she whirled away. She let a breath free, and a choked noise escaped. "They'll all end up dead or serving her sooner or later, anyway. And Ozpin needs to-"

Roman came up to her and threw an arm around her. "Rock and a hard place, yeah, yeah - but that wriggle room...it's right here." He leaned in close, putting his lips to her ear. "You still think you're stuck, think you're still being all squeezed up? You've got more room than yah think, sweetheart. All I'm saying is that you should think real hard about taking advantage of it before letting a kid suffer for no real good reason. Especially one that Neo tells me has already suffered way too much in her little life so-"

Kari threw the man off and slashed her blade around - and it stopped an inch from his neck.

A shattering of glass, and Neopolitan was standing there, gritting her teeth and pushing against Persuasion with her umbrella.

Shock coursed through Kari as she met her hard gaze, and then Roman's. She narrowed her eyes at him, her anger roaring to new heights. " _I suffered_ for no good reason!"

"And, what, that means you're just gonna toss another girl to the wolves? I thought you were some kind of big hero type - save the girl, not help them need rescuing later. Save the girls...like you?" Roman said lowly. "That's why you even became a huntress to start with, isn't it? Guess that's all gone down the drain these past few weeks, hasn't it, then, huh?" He shook his head at her.

Kari gasped, her blade vibrating. Her hand that held it, pushing against Neo's.

_"I could do the same - become a huntsman, couldn't I?"_

_"A huntress; yeah, I bet you could..."_

_"I think that would be great."_

_"Then let's do it!"_

Kari fought against the tears her body produced, gritting her teeth and turning her head.

"Come on now, sweetie, if the two career criminals are the ones telling you you're going a bit too far here - being a bit _extra unnecessary here_ \- don't you think you should listen to us?" He hesitated, then barreled on with, "Grimm queens and the destruction of all life, and honest to god _Gods_ \- this shit's _way_ over our heads, and it's way over _yours!_ And you don't hafta keep trying to keep up with it!"

Kari glared at Neo, who glared right back; she should have knocked her unconscious after taking her into the vault. Now Neo had taken all that information and used it against her, used it to sway Roman against her! Into defiance, into a will to fight! "You believe Ozpin's word?"

"Fuck no!" Roman exclaimed, shaking his head. "But when it comes to the literal end of the world, all life on the planet, and the planet itself just - _poof_ \- all because of some ancient queen who wants to make the world record for the longest suicide note imaginable...don't you think it's better to be damn safer than sorry?! What reason even was there to tell an outrageous lie like that, make such a massively overdramatic claim like that to you down in that vault? Why reach that high? That absurd? People don't just _do that_ , not for a lie, that's all I'm saying. And _if_ it's true - look, even I've got my limits, and my limits are right about...here: working with an ancient grimm queen looking to wipe out absolutely _everything and everyone!_ Know why? Because you know what that means for _me?_ No more fancy living, no more poor suckers to cheat out of their money, no more _fun_ to be had! No more Neo, either! You can't be a criminal if there's no _world_ left to commit crimes in - or people to commit 'em against! And personally, I'm rather fond of the world just how it is! But you - you're either completely insane inside, or you're blind! Nah, actually, just insane."

Kari drew a shaking breath, and shoved out against Neo with a swirl of blue particles, sending the girl flipping backwards through the air. She slashed for Roman again, letting out a scream; his cane came up, faster than she ever could have thought, and blocked her. No, she realized - he'd been moving to block her even before. He had expected it. Ever the people person. And she supposed she was being obvious about it...

"Soooo, hey, I don't know about you, but I don't want to personally be responsible for literal genocide of all life on Remnant!" Roman growled at her, gripping his cane in both hands and holding his ground. "All human life and all dirty faunus life - we're talking kids, we're talking _literal babies_ \- plus, all animals, and even all those sickeningly sweet flowers my mother used to collect! Really just gotta stand my ground here on this one, you understand?"

"You don't know if that's true!" Kari yelled, her voice shaking. _Breaking_.

"You're not listenin', dearie! If there's even a one percent chance it's true, do you really want to be the one to bring it all about?!" Roman retorted, frustration seeping in. "You want that all on your conscience? And I know you have one! A much bigger one than I've ever had - even as a child! So how about you start listening to either _it_ or _me_ again, and we can _not_ be the ones going down in the history of the universe as being responsible for an entire planet's destruction! Literally! At the hands of _fucking Gods!_ "

"Ozpin is just a liar, he's just-"

"And what if he's _not_?! Why not go find that Relic of Knowledge thingy, ancient magical artifact? Trust but verify, you ever heard it before?! So let's verify! But, shit, one look at Salem and I could've told you it was more than likely true! And let me tell yah, I woulda booked it way before now if it wasn't for you holding a blade to my neck! We could _all_ still book it, if you'd just take that thing off my neck already and suck it up, and accept the fact that you're way off the deep end here! Of humanity itself! Dammit, maybe it's that huntress in you, like she said - you don't wanna just run? But I'm telling you: _just run_! When we're talkin' the end of all life on the planet, _you just gotta run the other way!_ "

_"Run, just run!"_

_Run? I thought I decided to fight?_

"I'm never running from anyone again, from anything!"

"And I _respect that_ \- but when it comes to _planetary destruction,_ can't you just make an exception?!"

Kari growled at Roman and lashed out with a foot, then she hefted her blade with all her might and sent him flying back across the room.

Roman flipped around and stumbled, then righted himself. He aimed his cane at her, and the end opened up to reveal a gun barrel.

Neo stood beside him, and she pulled a long, thin blade from her umbrella.

Kari stared at them a long moment. She swished her blade at her side, and put a boot forward, setting her jaw. She shut her eyes, and when she opened them, dark blue flames rippled off them.

"You used to be a huntress, isn't that right?" Roman said quickly, almost _desperate_. "That means you had to have had a team? Partners - friends? People you cared about as much as I do for Neo! That's how that system works, we all know that! So, what about _them_? Three people, probably all just as noble and idealistic as yourself - at least, talking prior to right this very moment! What is it they'd all think about this? About you, right now? If they were all like you, can't imagine they'd be happy about you fighting to go about ending all life on Remnant! That's betraying them, isn't it? Turning your back on their values - as much as your own! You want to look them in the face in the big afterlife and tell them what you did?!"

Kari stood frozen, a statue of a human being.

"And- and-" Roman continued on, grasping for momentum. His eyes swept her up and down, and then landed on her stomach. "How about that kid of _yours_?" Kari turned murderous eyes on Neo; Neo looked away, but held her ground. "You want to explain to whoever the father is about what you did?! You want to explain to the kid himself, after it's all done with, there in the great afterlife? 'Mommy fought to bring about the end of the world - killed _all the kids ever_! So, want to catch up? Lay around on fluffy clouds and do some bonding?'"

Kari's face twisted, her blade rattled. The flames died in her eyes, and then she let Persuasion go; it clattered to the floor, and she followed after it to her knees.

"Whew..." Roman sighed. He cautiously approached, crouched down and put his hand on her back. "There we go, there we go, sweetie. No need for cutting off heads tonight - no need for any of that terrifying shit. Hey, if it was really just tearing down these kingdoms and makin' a new one in its place - I'd still be onboard. Kingdoms have come and gone enough times in history. And there's always a place in any kingdom for a good crook. That's just a matter of economics - and survival..." He paused. "But you know, so is _this_. Survival of the entire planet, and all human life."

"Your m-mother...collected flowers?"

"Pfft, nah; She was a drug-addled whore. But I had to say what I thought was gonna get through to yah - you understand?"

Kari gave a nod. "Yes..." She laughed. "You're a genuine con-man; I couldn't tell you weren't lying."

"Thank you very much - and never forget it!" Roman helped her up, then stepped back. "So, what do you say we put this whole end of the world goal up on the shelf, and turn our focus to....eh, literally anything else?"

"What else is there for me?" Kari said quietly.

"Well...that invitation's still open."

Kari stood, slowly, picking up her weapon again as she did, and walked some distance away. She stopped there, gripping Persuasion. She turned part way, and gazed at him a moment. "You've never been involved in the trafficking scene, have you?"

"Ehhh...not gonna lie - I've dabbled before." Roman's eyes went wide as Persuasion's tip came to rest under his chin. "Buuuut, I haven't done that since my earliest days, when I was just a young guy on the ladder, climbing my way up however I was told to!" he went on quickly, frantic. "And it really wasn't my scene, anyway! Just found it all a bit too...distasteful!"

"I'm not a huntress anymore," Kari began, her voice tight. "but if I find out that you've _dabbled_ since we started working together, I'll kill you for it like I still am. And every last person involved."

"Definitely not! We're talking years and years ago now! At least ten! Maybe fifteen, even, hell!"

"I can't tell if you're lying." Kari admitted. "It doesn't bring me any comfort."

"I can't help you there. Guess you're just going to have to...take the risk."

"I'll take it." Kari sighed, lowering her blade. "If we're going to search for the Relic of Knowledge, we need the Spring Maiden."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh. And where do we find such a delicate little lady?"

"Somewhere on Anima, most likely."

"Well, if we're going to search a continent, we'd better get over there and get a head start on it. I actually happen to know some people over there - business associates, former partners."

"Not yet."

"What do you mean not yet?"

"If Salem gets word that I'm not in Vale, she'll send people after me. I'm not ready for that yet." Kari sighed. "She has other followers - ones I've gone up against before...and lost to. Even as a full Maiden now, I'm not invincible; I defeated the last one, and stole her powers, after all. Power is worthless if you don't know how to utilize it properly."

"True, buuut..." Roman spread his arms, gestured to himself and Neo. "You didn't have us before."

"Touching - but if I couldn't win against them, you can't either."

"Individually, sure - no question in my mind, if these guys are half as good as you - but who said anything about taking them on alone? You might not be a huntress anymore, but does that mean you should drop the team dynamics like a hot cake?"

Kari blinked, her lips parting just so. "You're saying you'd fight beside me?"

"If there's one thing I know how to do damn well, it's strike up and maintain a partnership. And partners have got to have each other's backs, wouldn't you say?"

"Can I trust you even that far?"

"Unequivocally, sweetheart." Roman paused, giving an exaggerated glance around. "So then, if we're meant to be on our way to Anima, what are we going to be waiting around here for still, exactly?"

"For Cinder."

"I thought you agreed to drop it?" Roman exclaimed, throwing up his hands. "Listen to the conscience, remember?"

"About recruiting her for Salem, yes," Kari agreed. "But what about recruiting her for me?"

"Ah, the subtle differences - I live for them!" Roman grinned. "Tell me more..."

"She's going to die under Ozpin, not even knowing why, or she'll suffer under Salem as a slave again," Kari admitted quietly. "Why should I be the only one to escape from where I'm trapped? My conscience is telling me that Cinder shouldn't be left to _either_ of those immortals."

"I whole-heartedly agree with your conscience."

Kari gazed at Neo. "You can keep seeing her, if you want to. Keep being her friend. Genuinely, this time - if you want that." She hesitated, then turned her back on Neo and Roman, putting her sword away. She stood motionless, just like this, for a full minute. Then, she strode from the room without another word.

She breathed relief outside, and a light smile found a place on her lips.

Her escape from this new box was going to be soon.


	23. A Date To Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JWGEOPAEJWGPOEWJAGOPEWJGPOEWJGEW SLICE OF FLUFFY CUTIE GREATNESS!!!!!! <333333 THAT IS ALL.

"...Bar fights and secret meetings with Adam Taurus - you were right, Oz: this one gets up to a hell of a lot if you take your eyes off her for longer than a second."

Ozpin resumed his seat in his office, gesturing for Qrow to sit. The man took the offer with gratitude on his face - mixed in with that incredulity of his. "But no one was seriously harmed in that bar?"

"A bit of property damage, a few people got their heads knocked in - but nothing else more than that," Qrow reiterated, shaking his head. "I would've gone in to help, but she and that friend of hers had it handled pretty damn well enough. If it had gone any further, I might have had to, though..."

"And you say what started it all was...?"

"Yeah - I did some questioning after the kids were gone. It's true."

"Do you think she's handled it well? Has her behavior changed at all since?"

"How would I know? I haven't spent almost a year with her, like you have."

"Of course." Ozpin sighed. "Thank you, Qrow, for watching over her for me."

"What're you going to do about Taurus?"

"I don't think there is anything that _needs_ to be done," Ozpin replied, sitting back. "He sought _her_ out, and _he_ decided not to continue to bother with her - didn't he? He sought an ally to his cause, a human to serve as a weapon to point at those he hates. But he failed - something I'm very pleased about. Very proud of Miss Aryle for. That she refused him, refused her own instincts, her own darkest desires of a damaged, traumatized soul..."

"Didn't sound like she refused out of any sense of decency," Qrow ruminated, shaking his head. "For anything else that Taurus is, he was dead on about her: she's choosing to stay at Beacon out of selfish desire."

"But as long as she _is_ , she can continue to grow and develop her sense of decency," Ozpin countered lightly. "She already has, significantly so - you said she also confessed a desire to help people like herself to him. Months ago, she never would have said such a thing out loud, least of all to a man like Adam Taurus. I believe that was genuine; there is a great capacity for good in her, a real kind of compassion. And as long as she's here with us...she can keep developing that part of herself. Until, one day, perhaps...she'll turn out more like yourself, rather than like your sister," he finished, with a look.

Qrow looked away, embarrassed but pleased - he scratched his head. "Y-yeah, yeah, maybe...Here's hoping, huh? She's definitely got...potential, hidden in that big mess of a head of hers."

"And it is that potential that we must continue to guard, and nurse as best we can. Keep watching her, would you?"

"Got it." Qrow stood, gave a nod. "I'll report if anything else happens with her."

"Mmm. I expect it to be soon," Ozpin remarked, amused.

Qrow laughed, waved a hand and left the office.

* * *

The idea came to Cinder after classes, late in evening while she was with her team. Her friends. Much more specifically - with Pyrrha.

She lifted her head from Pyrrha's shoulder and caught her eye, up close and personal. "Can we go on a date?"

"You want to?" Pyrrha spoke, surprised. But also...pleased. _Very_ pleased! It had Cinder kicking herself mentally for not suggesting it _weeks ago_ \- that smile, that glimmer in those emerald eyes...

"Yes. I- you're supposed to, right?" Cinder struggled to express, flushing. " _Before_ you're even together with someone - but we didn't," she went on, mumbling the words.

"Well," Pyrrha began, smiling. "It _is_ the fairly typical thing to do - but you've never been typical, have you? And plenty of couples do keep going out on dates - even well into marriages. Of course we can go on a date together; I would love to. Where would you want to go?"

"I'm not sure - the movie theater? Or, out to eat somewhere?"

"We could do both." Pyrrha grinned. "If that's alright with you."

"I'd love to," Cinder returned, smiling with relief. She hesitated. "Could we do this...right now?"

"I had assumed we would be, with how you are," Pyrrha replied, laughing beautifully. "You need to get off of me first, though..."

Cinder jumped to her feet immediately.

"You're going on three weeks now, and you're _just_ _now_ going on a date..." Emerald laughed, shaking her head at them. "Why not? Everything else about this team is still dysfunctional as hell." Noting Cinder's glare, she quickly added, "Hope you two have fun!"

"Enjoy yourselves," Blake added, flashing a smile. "There aren't very many weeks left until the Tournament starts."

"We're not stopping our training for that until the very last day!" Cinder said firmly, at the reminder. "Not even tonight! After Pyrrha and I get back, we're still going to spar."

"We'll still train," Pyrrha agreed, getting to her feet. "But before that, we're going to relax and have fun together. Do you want to get dressed up for this?"

"Yes." Cinder strode for her dresser, opening the drawers and rummaging through her mess of dresses and other assorted outfits. She pulled out her long black gown, and accompanying arm sleeves - gave it some smoothing overs, as best she could.

"Oooh, going fancy tonight?" Emerald commented. "If you're going out to dinner in _that_ , you should pick someplace equally fancy!"

"I'm sure we'll find a fairly fancy place," Pyrrha said seriously. "I suppose this occasion calls for _my_ best gown, as well..." she went on, striding for her neat little shelves of outfits stacked atop one another. In the end, she chose a long red dress of intricate design and shoulder-exposure.

Cinder loved those shoulders of hers.

Pyrrha disappeared into the bathroom to do her hair, and emerged with her gown on her figure.

Cinder put on hers, next, and did a bit of brushing of her own hair in a fit of surprise anxiety, making sure it all hung down a shoulder in the right way. The perfect way.

Then, they were ready to go.

Pyrrha took her hand, and they left together.

* * *

After taking an airship into Vale, Cinder and Pyrrha strolled the evening streets together to their first destination: the movies.

The second destination in mind was a restaurant (an establishment agreed upon during the aforementioned airship flight). But that would come later.

Pyrrha had suggested it, and seemed happy about getting to go to dinner there.

Cinder was just happy to go along with what Pyrrha wanted - to be with her, no matter where it was. And she was happy about the chance for more good food, of course!

So she was especially pleased when the movies turned out to have _plenty_ of good foods for her to eat during the course of their time in the building.

After getting tickets, Pyrrha allowed Cinder to purchase foods for them. Cinder ended up getting them extra large popcorn tubs, large sodas, and two handfuls of various candies.

"You're so lucky that we have intense combat training every single day," Pyrrha remarked, grinning.

"Why?"

"Oh, never mind," Pyrrha laughed, rolling her eyes. She took Cinder's hand and began leading her to their theater room.

It was dark, and it was crowded.

And Cinder really didn't like it too much.

She focused on her food, and Pyrrha, as they took their seats - an empty section up at the top, the farthest back they could get.

Pyrrha stroked and patted at her hand, leaning over and telling her to just do her best to ignore everyone ("It shouldn't be too difficult for you!").

Once the movie started, Cinder lost herself to _that_ instead. Loud music blared, bullets and explosions burst, and the most exhilarating combat scenarios played out in front of her eyes!

Of course, she had a few problems with how things turned out.

" _Yes_ , shoot him - no, the other one!"

"Idiot, you could have knocked the weapon away - why didn't you just _stab him?!_ "

"What kind of moron tries to jump that far and hope it works out?!"

" _Go down the fucking alley, not around the corner again - it's faster!_ "

Pyrrha laughed under cover of a latest set of explosions and gunfire, and leaned over to whisper in Cinder's ear. "Alright, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, but you need to be a little quieter! People might get upset with us."

"But they're just being so _stupid_!" Cinder exclaimed, pointing at the screen. "Look at that! Why wouldn't you go off the side of the bridge instead of running straight ahead? Especially when they have-"

"Cinder, that's very much besides the point," Pyrrha giggled, grabbing her hand up again. "The point is that we need to manage our volume, and be considerate of others."

Cinder blew out a breath, smacking her hand to her forehead as the movie took another idiotic turn. She dug into her popcorn and stuffed a handful into her mouth. "Fine," she said, garbled. "But if this crap keeps up, I'm going to have to talk to some people."

"Like who?"

"Whoever made this."

"No, no, Cinder - you don't want to be that kind of girl!" Pyrrha dissuaded, laughing even still. "Please don't. I'm serious."

"Fiiiine..." Cinder sighed, sipping her soda and shifting in her seat. "Okay. But..."

"Unless you're talking about an actual _butt_ , I don't want to hear it," Pyrrha grinned.

Cinder turned to her in the dark. "Thanks for reminding me." She snaked her hand low across their seats, and her fingers found warmth and softness under Pyrrha's.

"Oh, no!" Pyrrha squirmed, a little squeak emerging out of her. "Cinder, we really can't do anything like that here - t-there are laws..."

"But it's _dark_ , and no one else is even-"

"We really can't," Pyrrha reiterated, a bit more serious now. A bit of firmness. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have teased you like that, all right?"

Cinder relented, turning back to the movie. "If you say so..."

"We can definitely do- whatever you like...later," Pyrrha continued on, quick and bright. "When we get back to the dorms - okay?"

"Okay!" Cinder said, feeling significantly more cheerful now.

Pyrrha sighed with relief, a smile on her lips.

* * *

After the movies, they made their way through downtown Vale, headed for their chosen restaurant.

But, when they finally arrived outside the restaurant, and Cinder gazed in through the window from the sidewalk, all her happiness evaporated, and suddenly it _mattered_ where they were going to eat - so damn much.

" _No._ " Cinder said instantly, firm. "Not here."

"No? Why not?" Pyrrha prompted, patient and calm. "It's important to express your thoughts and feelings, remember?" she added, when Cinder just growled.

"Fine. It...reminds me of Atlas..." Cinder muttered, turning away from the window. "The- the statues and the- stupid gold colors...the tables..." She clenched her fists, drawing a breath.

Pyrrha touched her arm, nodding at her. "A little _too_ fancy, then - all right! We can find somewhere else," she assured, simple and easy. She pulled out her scroll, tapping and swiping at it. "You know, I think we're the only people to try looking for a dinner locale based on how _terrible_ the reviews are, versus how _good_ they are," she went on, with a little grin and a sparkle to her eyes. She showed off her scroll to Cinder. "How about here? Only four stars, on average. Do the pictures look all right to you?"

"Yes," Cinder nodded. She couldn't help smiling; Pyrrha always had that affect on her. Especially when her face just became so _radiant_ like that. And she was so, so relieved that Pyrrha had agreed to leave this place. "That's good - we can go there. It's not too far from here, actually..."

Pyrrha held out her hand, and Cinder took it. "Lucky us, then: we get to have more time on this evening stroll together."

"Y-yes, well...as long as I'm with you, I'll be happy," Cinder stammered, trying to find the right words for a good compliment.

Pyrrha beamed. "My thoughts exactly."

Cinder's mind flooded with relief - and her soul, with pleasure.

They walked on down the street together, in no real hurry at all, passing a black bird perched on a sign that took flight as they did (obviously spooked).

After arriving at and entering their new and alternate destination, they were seated without problems (Pyrrha asked Cinder twice if it was okay).

And it really was, Cinder found; it had a nice green to it - green carpets, wallpaper, and a bit of a nature theme to it (plants, flowers, vines on pillars).

Cinder liked green. And nature. That was...

"The one thing I missed about Mistral."

"Hm?" Pyrrha shifted in her seat beside Cinder, setting her glass of ice water down on their table.

Cinder flushed, looking down into her own drink and swirling the ice cubes. "Being outside - getting to just walk in the grass, hang out near the trees. Seeing the tall grass and the hills. The animals that were almost always around - mice and rats, foxes, even horses and cows that passed by. I liked that. Atlas was...it was all- too _polished_ , too... _not_ natural." She laughed softly to herself. "I would know: I did most of the polishing..."

"I think that I quite miss that as well," Pyrrha said quietly. "Vale is all dense forest, for the most part, on all sides. It's constricting, it's obscuring, honestly. I miss the open plains and the fields of Mistral."

Cinder smiled, nodding and sipping at her drink, head still bowed. "At least there was a nice view," she agreed in a murmur. "Even if I had to sit out on my own, I could look around and see...pretty things, whenever I wanted. Trees are pretty, grass is pretty, the way the hills caught the sun was pretty. Atlas, all shiny and hard and...like any of _that_ was pretty! That's not beauty, it's just...wrong."

Pyrrha took her hand, sudden and soft, and patted it. Cinder glanced up at her at last. "I'm sorry."

"Do you- in Mistral, were you...?"

"Yes?"

"Where did you live?" Cinder blurted. "I- you know a lot about me by now, but I just...realized I don't know too much more about _you_. I've...I haven't asked..." she said, guilt squirming in her. "You ask me things all the time!"

"Thank you for asking," Pyrrha said, heartfelt, smiling at her. "There isn't much for me to tell, sadly; I grew up in Argus, a port city in the northern region of Mistral. I lived with my mother - it was always just her and me, for as long as I can remember. For nearly as long as I can remember, I held the dream of becoming a huntress." She laughed, giving a small shake of her head. "I used to make things quite difficult on my mother, always going on about how much I wanted to learn to wield a weapon - how I wanted to go and save the world, slay the monsters keeping humanity down, and protect as many people as I could. I troubled more than one huntsman or huntress whenever I came across them on the streets - most of them just passing through. I would pester them with so many questions, and they'd indulge me if they could; mother would scold me after, for being so rude and brazen. Especially when it came to strangers."

Cinder looked at Pyrrha. She smiled, too, but there was a weight in her chest. "That...sounds really nice."

"My mother wouldn't agree with you, even now," Pyrrha laughed again. "She loves telling everyone about my terrible behavior back then. It's all really quite embarrassing!"

"Your mother...is still around? And she's not- she's nice?"

"She is," Pyrrha assured. "She's _very_ nice. She's wonderful, really. In the end, she did let me train to become a huntress, even from a young age. And she's always been very proud of my progress - and very supportive of my dreams. I love her - I still keep in touch with her, when I can."

"You do?" Cinder couldn't imagine ever wanting to willingly reach out to _anyone_ in _her_ past again. They were all better left forgotten, left behind for good. Only the people in her life _now_ mattered, or were any good.

"Of course. She's my mother."

"Right..." Cinder muttered, ducking her head.

"Oh...I'm sorry, Cinder. This all must be very insensitive to-"

"No!" Cinder's head came up. "No, it's- I like- hearing about it all. I did ask, didn't I? And...it sounds nice."

Pyrrha stroked at her hand, gave it a squeeze. Gentle, warm. Lovely. "You did ask, yes." She paused. "I've been thinking about calling her again, these past several weeks. As the Tournament grows closer, she'll want to know how I'm managing. Things like stress, how I get along with my teammates - my friends. And...well..." Pyrrha's cheeks became very flushed as she met Cinder's gaze. "I would like to tell her about us - our relationship. She- she would be very happy for me, for both of us, honestly! She has always loved to tease me about this, finding someone to have a good romance with - a _first_ romance! But, I'll only tell if you're alright with it," she finished softly, peering at Cinder with intense green eyes.

"S-sure - she's- your mother," Cinder stuttered out. "Go ahead!"

" _Are you_ all right with this?"

"She's- really not going to- to i-insult or- or criticize you for...someone like me?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "No, she won't," she said firmly. "My mother...isn't like yours. I promise. And _you are not someone worth criticizing._ You're wonderful, Cinder - you're _worth loving_. And I love you _v_ _ery much_. And she will, too!"

"Okay. Then tell her." Cinder tried to smile, and she turned her hand over in Pyrrha's and squeezed back. "What do I know about normal mothers?"

Pyrrha looked at her with utter heartbreak, her lips parted. Her eyes shimmering. She turned away a moment, swiftly, bringing her free hand up to swipe at her face. A deep breath was drawn, and by the time she turned back toward Cinder, she looked normal again. "Thank you. She will be _very happy for us_."

"Sure - you'd know," Cinder nodded, put more effort into her smile. She snatched up her drink for something better to do, draining it with great gulps of a tight throat.

The conversation didn't pick up again from there. Cinder was glad when their food arrived, so she could do something in the silence.

It was funny, really: Cinder normally _liked_ her silences, her peace and quiet - but this one was just...uncomfortable.

So she tried, for once, to actually break it; she swallowed a big bite of nice steak, set her utensils down, and turned to Pyrrha. "Hey...?"

"Yes?" Pyrrha smiled at her, like normal.

"If I don't win the Tournament, I think you will."

Pyrrha's smile became softer. "Oh, thank you, Cinder. But I think it would be amazing to see _you_ win. You certainly train hard enough..."

"What would you do with the prize money? If you won?" Cinder went on, grasping for any thought available in her mind.

"I think I have more than enough lien from all my previous tournament victories - and endorsements and sponsorships," Pyrrha replied, amused. "As you well know!" she added, with a giggle and a self explanatory gesture of a hand.

Cinder glanced down at her dress, then at Pyrrha. She grinned, and laughed too. "Yes!"

"What would _you do_ if you won?" Pyrrha asked, her eyes lighting up.

Cinder gestured down at herself, her grin widening. "Buy more dresses."

"The amount for the tournament victor is several million," Pyrrha said humorously. "Oh, Cinder...that's quite a lot of outfits!"

"Outfits for _days_ ," Cinder confirmed, pulling a phrase out of Emerald's vocabulary. Just imagining it was making her dizzy!

"Outfits for days!" Pyrrha agreed, hand over her mouth, as high laughs tried to escape her lips. "Well, with you, we should probably change that to weeks - or even _months_!"

"Maybe I'll buy a bike, though," Cinder considered seriously, as the thought came to her. "Like Yang has. But, obviously better colored - reds and blacks, for me. And then I could race her!" she added excitedly. "And I'd win!"

"And you would have personal transportation for your huntress missions," Pyrrha spoke lightly.

"That, too," Cinder agreed. "I didn't even think about that."

"Well...it's a good thing I did, then, isn't it?" Pyrrha shook her head at her, ducking her head to shovel food into her mouth, long locks of scarlet falling to hide her face. But Cinder still caught the smile there. "Have you also thought about the fact that dresses and bikes don't really...go together?" her came from behind the curtain of red, strained. A little chortle was heard.

"What do you mean?" Cinder demanded.

Pyrrha turned her head away. More chortles, and even a little _snort_. "W-well...you've never seen Yang wearing dresses or skirts for a reason, don't you think?"

"I'll figure out a way to make it work!" Cinder said fiercely. "Just because Yang can't manage it doesn't mean I can't!"

"I think it's rather the entire history of dress wearers who haven't managed to figure it out...for very good reason!"

"I will," Cinder said confidently. Now she _had to win_ \- to get a motorbike! And to show Pyrrha wrong about dress riders! And to rub it in Yang's face, of course, too.

"Make sure you have your Aura up when you do _try_..." Pyrrha said, strangled. "I don't want to see you get pulled off and mangled up!"

"I'm sure I have more coordination than that," Cinder glared at Pyrrha's hair. "Have some faith in me, please."

"You're glaring again - I don't even need to look to tell."

"Oh, _so_ glaring."

Pyrrha whipped around, hands to her mouth, and high laughter rang out in the restaurant. Several heads turned from nearby tables. She pressed harder and bent over the table, hiding her face again - but this time out of pure mortification. "I'm sorry!" she gasped, waving a hand about.

Cinder stared at her. Then, she started laughing too. Shrill, intense peals erupting from her soul!

"Oh no, no no, I'm sorry," Pyrrha said quickly, shaking her head, her cheeks pink. "We're being completely inappropriate - inconsiderate!"

"S-so?!" Cinder gasped, clutching her sides as mirth broke free.

"C-Cinder, they could kick us out! You'd lose all that food of yours!" Pyrrha gestured frantically to their meals.

Cinder clamped her jaw shut, and punched herself in the gut. She sank down into her chair, a long gasp drawn forth. She controlled her breathing, getting herself back under control. Then she took up her fork and started shoveling food into her mouth as fast as she could. She had cleared her plate in under half a minute. Used the arm sleeve of her dress to wipe her mouth of food.

Pyrrha finished hers much more slowly, and then gave Cinder a look that was part amused, part pitying. "I'm sorry - I didn't mean they _would_...just that there was a strong possibility..."

"You never know when you're going to get food," Cinder replied.

Now Pyrrha's face only held the _pity_. She didn't comment.

After paying the bill, the pair stood and left the building together.

"That really could have gone so much worse..." Pyrrha murmured in relief, after they emerged into fresh air and cool night.

Cinder's face twitched. "We could have _made it_ worse."

Pyrrha gave her a sidelong look. Her lips quirked. "Would you...have _liked_ to have made it worse?"

"Maybe - if there wasn't the threat of losing my food!"

"Of course..."

"What do we do now?"

"Well...do you want to go back to Beacon?"

"No. I want to find a park," Cinder confided, embarrassed.

"I see. Well, I'm certain I saw one a few blocks that way." Pyrrha turned and pointed east. "Why don't we head over there, and see what we can find?"

"Okay!" Cinder started off at a fast paced walk.

They traveled six whole blocks before coming across the park again. It was empty, spacious. Lush grass, scattering of trees and benches and tables.

Cinder chose a large tree on the far side, taking them over and around behind it. They sat together there, backs to the wide trunk base. Close, relaxed, touching.

Neither girl spoke for a minute. Pyrrha had her eyes on the night sky, the moon lighting the dark; Cinder was surveying the area, taking note of every noise and sight.

"Cinder...?"

"Yes?" Cinder gazed at Pyrrha's face, into her eyes.

Pyrrha seemed to be doing some thinking.

Cinder kissed her in that span of time, gentle and long.

Pyrrha blinked, she sighed - and she smiled. She kissed her back, placing a hand on her cheek. "Never mind," she breathed, after brief parting. "It wasn't too important."

"Okay..." Cinder kissed again, her hands finding Pyrrha's shoulders. Roaming down her arms, up again.

Pyrrha gently broke them apart again. "Ah, Cinder, we can do a bit of kissing - but that has to be as far as it goes for now. Out here. We can't be...putting hands anywhere else that we might want to."

"Why? It's dark and we're behind a tree," Cinder pouted.

Pyrrha sighed. "Cinder, just because no one can see you do it does not mean you should just do things that aren't allowed. That isn't the point. The point is to not do it at all."

"But...why can't we do this?"

"B-because that would be something called exhibitionism, and it's not acceptable - not even in Vale. It means involving others in your...sexual intimacies, without their consent to seeing it. And that is as wrong as any physical or verbal kinds of violations and unwanted advances. Even just with sight, or proximity, _consent matters_. Always. That's why I don't just let us have sex in front of Emerald or Blake," Pyrrha added, shaking her head. "Why we talked about how even just pleasing our own bodies has to be done out of sight of those who didn't agree to see it. It's the same issue, Cinder."

"I didn't realize it- went so far like that..."

"Well, it does. And it's important that you understand."

Cinder nodded seriously. "Okay; we'll wait. Just kissing, out here."

Pyrrha kissed her immediately, smiling at her under moon's light. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Y-you're welcome..." Cinder flushed, looking away. But she felt pleased with herself. Pleased that Pyrrha was pleased with her.

They kissed against the tree, leisurely and tenderly, for some time before finally stopping.

They shifted positions, getting more comfortable, in an as comfortable silence now. Not at all like the one from earlier.

"Can we just sleep here?" Cinder murmured after some time, resting her head on Pyrrha's shoulder and curling against her.

"I don't think that would be very smart of us..."

"It's summer; we won't get cold," Cinder snorted softly.

"I wasn't worried about the weather," Pyrrha replied, with a little laugh. "We've been attacked before, and I can't imagine it would be very smart of us to leave ourselves laying helpless in public. We didn't even bring our weapons."

"Oh, right..." Cinder sighed. "People do keep trying to do that..."

"They do." Pyrrha paused. Then went on, in a most mischievous voice. "And of course, if we don't go back to Beacon, we won't be able to have any sort of sex tonight whatsoever..."

Cinder sat up instantly, jumping to her feet. "Let's go back!"

Pyrrha extended her arm up, giggling; Cinder took her hand and helped her up. Pyrrha stretched, yawning. "I knew that one would work with you. Come on. We've had a wonderful night - I really enjoyed it, Cinder. Very, very much. Thank you for this. A date was just what we needed."

Cinder glowed. "I really liked it, too. Could we do it again?"

"Of course! How about...next week?"

"Next week," Cinder agreed, excited. "This was great - I loved it!" she went on, her voice going high - almost a squeal. It embarrassed her, but she couldn't seem to care too much right then. Not really, not with Pyrrha.

Pyrrha hugged her softly, squeezing her tight. "I'm so glad; I did, too!" she said earnestly, looking utterly delighted.

Hand in hand, they made their way back home together.

* * *

"Okay, both of you: clear out, we're fucking!"

"Cinder..." Pyrrha gritted, her cheeks flushed furiously. "We can't just kick our teammates out of the dorm like that. We still need to be c-considerate; we're just going to be _taking a bath after our long night together_ ," she went on through her teeth, avoiding the gazes of their teammates and dragging Cinder toward the bathroom.

"Make lots of bubbles!" Emerald called out, giggling. "Bubbles make it all more romantic!"

Blake smacked her pillow over her face and turned away, muffled laughter still managing to be heard.

"We're taking a bath?" Cinder said, disappointed. "I thought we were going to-" She stopped as Pyrrha shut the bathroom door and turned the lock. "Oh! We're doing that _in_ the bath? It's always sounded like it could be fun..."

Pyrrha started the bath, burying her head in her hands. "I d-doubt it's going to be quite as fun as you imagine. But, we can give it a try."

"With bubbles?" Cinder said, reaching for the bottle.

Pyrrha giggled. "Yes, with bubbles."

"Yes!" Cinder tore her dress off and threw it aside. Undergarments removed, after. She unscrewed the bottle and turned it upside down over the tub, a wide smile on her face.

"That...is going to be _far too much_ ," Pyrrha remarked, shaking her head.

"You can _never_ have enough bubbles," Cinder retorted, dropping the empty bottle into the waters.

"It's going to overflow, and we're going to have to clean it all up," said Pyrrha, amused.

"I've cleaned up worse," Cinder said quietly, hopping into the tub and splashing water everywhere.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Pyrrha undressed and joined her, stepping in.

Cinder looked at her. Then, she hopped on the spot with a wide grin. "What do you think?"

Pyrrha grabbed her bare arms, pressing to her, and kissing her. "I think I can't ever not love you for how you are. You're just...so cute, when you want to be."

"Cute?" No one had ever called her _cute_ before. But it felt so _good_. It fluttered her stomach, warmed her soul, and it made her want to make one of those embarrassing squeals again! "W-well, I think you're cute, too, you know!"

"Thank you."

They lowered themselves into the water together, pressing flesh to flesh...


	24. Vytal: Day One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY the Vytal Tournament Arc begins!!! It's all Vytal from here on out! Final arc is a classic anime tournament arc! <333
> 
> Gravity was my favorite episode/Vytal tournie biome! :) I wish I could just use it for EVERY fight! :D But I decided to use it for Penny's fight to start off with just a super fun crazy fight!
> 
> Also you got 10,000 words because I went Monty level nuts with crazy pointless combat scenes. :D I've been unleashed at last.

"Welcome - please, sit, Cinder. And, I do apologize for calling you here so early."

In earliest morning light, on the day the Vytal Festival began, Cinder had received a message on her scroll, summoning her to the Headmaster's office. For what reason, she had no idea.

Nonetheless, Cinder obeyed, sinking into the chair at the headmaster's desk. There was a glass of juice and a plate of brownies on the desk. Tantalizing - sheer torture on his part, Cinder thought. He knew damn well how to torment her!

There was a silence, in which Professor Ozpin just looked at her - watched her. Then-

"It was brought to my attention recently that there was an incident in downtown Vale several weeks ago - which you were involved in. At a bar."

He knew? How could he know? What did it _matter_? Cinder nodded, dropping her head. "Yes, professor." If he knew, she couldn't lie.

"Come now, you're not in any trouble."

"Huh?" She looked up.

Ozpin raised his eyebrow at her, and gestured to the food. "Take as much as you like, please."

Cinder hesitated, then reached for the glass, watching him. Was this a test, or a trick - give her this, then take it away from her? Or scold her for being presumptuous at all? She wasn't a stranger to that kind of game. She drank from it, and then set it down. Not a change of expression, not a word sharply said. She relaxed a little, and took another drink. "Thank you..."

Ozpin sat down across from her, picking up his coffee and taking a sip. "You might not realize it, but Vale laws on alcohol consumption by minors state that no one under eighteen is allowed to do so. Your birthday does not come around again for another few months, if I remember correctly."

"I didn't drink any alcohol when I was there," Cinder murmured.

"No? Good."

Cinder took a brownie. Bit it in two. All the while keeping her head carefully lowered. Waiting.

"I've no issue with you being there at all - anyone may freely enter such establishments, after all. And I'm glad to see you exploring more of what this city has to offer, interacting with the common people more. We huntsmen may live to protect them, but we cannot do so from afar, detached and on high; we must always remember that we were once the same, and maintain a connection to keep us grounded in our minds. Pride is all well and good, but arrogance or ego are things a huntsmen should be wary of falling prey to. We must be compassionate - empathetic. And I'm most certainly glad to see you are starting to be so toward the people of Vale."

Cinder nodded, finishing off her brownie and taking another one with hesitant fingers.

"But..." Ozpin's voice changed. Pitched gentler. "I was also made aware, that for as much fun as you had that day...you also experienced something decidedly not positive."

"I did get into a fight," Cinder confessed, nervous. "I didn't start it - and I tried to pay for the damages, but they said-"

"I know." Ozpin's voice, simple and soft. "I've no issue at all with how you handled that situation, either. I'm very proud of you for it. Very relieved, Cinder. But what started the fight, that it happened to you at all...I'm terribly sorry."

Cinder let her head fall further, her hair falling over her face. She glared hard at the desk's surface, her hands disappearing under the table to become fists. "Consent is apparently very important."

"Quite so. That your bodily autonomy was violated in such a way...Do you wish to discuss it at all? Not with me - with one of your teammates? With Miss Nikos? Or perhaps a teacher - Glynda? And there are campus counselors available for you if you-"

"No. I handled it." Cinder dared to interrupt.

"You did. I'm proud that you did. You were well within your rights. But more often than not, experiences such as these can leave-"

"Scars?" Cinder lifted her head, raised her chin high, exposing her neck. "I have experience dealing with this kind of thing. Well...okay, not this specifically - that's never- happened to me before - but it's the same thing," she pressed on, firm. "If I don't have to think about it again, I won't have problems. You're making me think about it _right now_."

"I'm sorry. I only wanted to check on you, and let you know there were...options available, if you needed them. But if you're confident in yourself, then I won't bring this up again with you. I don't mean to cause you distress, I promise you. Only to help."

Cinder stood, gripping the desk, leaning forward to gaze into his eyes. "I don't need help. Just let me forget it. I'm fine otherwise."

"Of course. You may take those with you, if you like." Ozpin nodded to the plate.

Cinder hesitated. She picked up the plate, straightening. "Thank you..."

She turned to leave, heading for the elevator. Before entering, she turned to look over a shoulder. "It's never happened to me before. I'm not sure what to feel. But I've felt _worse_. It didn't even hurt. And- it wasn't even the...the act itself. It was what he said to me when he did it that really g-got to me."

"Being unsure of what to feel is just as valid as feeling anything else - or nothing. If you feel you are fine, then that's...fine, Cinder."

Cinder smirked, shaking her head as she stepped into the elevator and hit the button. "I didn't say I was fine - I said I've felt worse."

The doors closed, plunging her into blessed silence, and darkness.

Just like her room back at the hotel. A place of peace and refuge.

She smiled, letting a breath go as she leaned back against the wall of the elevator.

And she began feasting on her brownies in earnest now, shoving them into her mouth.

She had a big day ahead of her - the most _important day_. The first of several, which would culminate in the ultimate victory: victory in the Vytal Tournament!

* * *

"Do you believe in destiny?"

"Yes." Of course Cinder did; it wasn't even a question! From being taken from the orphanage to Atlas, to Rhodes catching her eye, to him agreeing to train her, to help her escape it all...to her coming to Vale and running into Emerald - a ticket into Beacon, at first, and nothing more; just what she had needed at the time! - and even on up to...right...here. To Pyrrha, to love, to joy and pleasure. The things she'd never thought she could have, wasn't worthy of having - but she had been worthy of all along. How perfectly had it all aligned for her? Because it was her _destiny_ to have it all! And it was her destiny...to become the greatest huntress on Remnant. She knew it, she felt it in her soul. Every single link in the chain of events had led her _here_. Nothing could drag her off the path! Nothing could hold her back from it. Not now. Not ever.

Destiny would see her win the Tournament, see her become the champion of Beacon, see her win millions of lien - see her become the undisputed, best huntress in training in _any_ of the schools! It would see her become internationally renowned!

Failure wasn't even going to be a word in Cinder's mind during the next three days! She had trained every single day, for an entire year now, for _just these days_. She had trained _seven years_ for these days!

All for that moment when she would stand gloriously above the rest.

The moment where she would finally become someone that no one could ever, _ever_ call worthless, or an unloved failure of a girl again.

* * *

Shortly after returning to her dorm, Cinder found some surprising people waiting for her there.

Team RNBW. Well, three out of four members of Team RNBW. Ren, Nora, and Bondi.

Cinder's teammates were immersed in idle conversation with them. But that all stopped when Cinder walked in.

"What are you all doing here?" Cinder asked bluntly.

It was Bondi who stepped forward, holding her five purple stuffed animals in her arms. She never went anywhere without them.

"I w-want you to properly meet them...b-before- if we have to fight again..."

"What? Meet them...? They're toys," Cinder said blandly. "I've already seen them."

Bondi frowned deeply at her, and plopped down on the floor. She began positioning her five stuffed animals around herself. "T-this is Krystal," she spoke on, in a very quiet voice, as if she hadn't heard Cinder's response. "It's p-polite to say hi..."

Cinder rolled her neck and threw a look at the girl's teammates.

"Trust me, it's better to just go along with it," Nora said cheerfully.

"This is fairly important to her," Ren said quietly.

Cinder looked to her own teammates. Her friends were wearing various looks of _pleading_ behind Bondi's back.

Cinder sighed, returning her attention to Bondi. She threw up her hands, then sat down with Bondi and set her hands in her lap. "Okay, then...yes, hi, I can see them all."

Bondi's Aura rippled across her body, and then that same Aura shimmered across the bear named Krystal. After a moment, both Auras became significantly less bright, the rippling motions slowing, like more of a gentle ocean's wave. Krystal came to life, head coming up and tilting at Cinder, those stubby arms crossing at her.

Cinder tensed, fighting every urge to leap away. "Don't attack me..."

"She won't," Bondi assured, with an earnest smile.

"How can I know that?"

"Because I don't want her to."

Cinder breathed a little easier. That was right, Bondi's Semblance wasn't literally creating anything with real free will - these _toys_ weren't like...like Penny! These were just puppets, animated by the extension of Aura Bondi covered them in, filled with life and motion by Bondi's own soul and mind, her thoughts and her intentions and her feelings. Temporarily gaining the benefits of Aura - defensive shielding, and offensive strength and speed. But they weren't any kind of real, themselves! They wouldn't ever do anything Bondi didn't want them to. They couldn't act on their own. It was no different from covering one's swords in Aura - they were just another form of weapon for Bondi, that she could cover in Aura without physical contact! And it was all only temporary, anyways; they would drop dead again the moment Bondi's Aura ran out. Which it tended to do rather quickly: distributing your Aura and sparking life like that was incredibly taxing. More so when Bondi did it to multiple _toys_ at once.

Ruby Rose had once described it over lunch as something called, "The Law of Conservation of Ninjutsu," a phrase from her comic books community. Every time Bondi used her Semblance and Aura in combination to bring life like this to a toy, it siphoned off a portion from herself in equal to the number of toys to give over to it. If it was just one, Bondi would lose half her full capacity of Aura, with the other half going to cover the toy. If it was two, she would have her Aura reduced by roughly two thirds, with two of those thirds going to the toys. Four toys, and twenty percent of her Aura would get distributed to each. Five...well, a very small amount would be divided out from her. Leave _her_ with a very small amount.

And that always left Bondi very vulnerable - as had been proven before, in their food fight: one average strike had taken her out, at that point! True, she could still fight on her own, either alongside them, or after she lost her Aura, but that was only in a real life scenario - in the Tournament, she would be disqualified the second her meager little Aura shattered.

"C-can you s-shake her hand?"

"She doesn't have a hand," Cinder said blithely.

Bondi's lower lip wobbled. She ducked her head. Krystal the bear immediately turned and hopped into her lap, and started patting at her legs.

"Grrrr... _Fine!_ " Cinder growled. "Give it!"

Bondi looked up, joy lighting up her features. Cinder couldn't tell if the shimmer in her eyes was from crying or happiness now. Regardless, Cinder sat very still and very tensed as the stuffed bear walked its way to her, and put its little nub arms against her legs.

Cinder glared down at it, her hands itching to snatch it up and hurl it against the nearest wall; Krystal gave her a pat, and then raised an arm. A strangled noise escaped Cinder's throat, and she reached down and seized the toy's limb and squeezed. Hard.

Purple Aura flickered on its body more intensely, resisting being squished, casting off tiny tendrils of energy. This same effect was mirrored on Bondi herself; she gave a small little wince, her face twisting.

"Y-you're going to h-hurt her!" Bondi said with concern.

Cinder eased up, the Aura calming. She gave a single, ginger shake up and down, and then let go. "There - happy?"

"Yep!" Bondi beamed as Krystal threw herself into Cinder's lap. "Look! She really likes you!"

" _It_ can't like anything. It doesn't even think."

Several others in the room made loud throat-clearing noises at the same exact time.

Cinder closed her eyes. "Okay, yes, she likes me - that's great. I'm happy to know that."

Bondi looked even more pleased. She began pointing to the others, the inanimate animals of hers. "This is Pearl - she's Krystal's twin sister! And this is Apricot, she's the youngest, and these are Snow and Daisy. Snow and Daisy try to take care of all of us."

"Don't you mean them?"

"No," Bondi said firmly, suddenly. "I mean _us!_ "

"Okay - us!" Cinder replied, taken aback. She sighed. "Are we done here? I have to get ready for the Tournament - so should you and your team. It starts today, remember?"

Bondi smiled, standing. She held her arms out away from herself, gazing down at her toys. The five bears moved in unison, and leaped up to chest height. She caught them all in her arms, wrapping them up in a big hug. The shared Aura flickered, and evaporated from them all - and herself. She gave a great sigh, sagging where she stood. Then she shook her head and straightened up again, and went to join Ren and Nora. "T-they were all r-really happy to meet you..." she stammered, eyes downcast, her cheeks pink. "T-thanks for this."

"Sure," Cinder said, patient as she could be. She was just relieved it was over now. She stood, too, and then she went to sit on her bed without another word.

_I have a whole new experience to try to forget now. What a weird girl..._

Her own train of thought stopped her dead in her tracks.

A nagging, a prickling - and a memory of words spoken to her months ago, by Pyrrha...

_"All kinds of people here have all kinds of problems - most of them we can't even see, like yours..."_

And another memory, a bit more recent. Words spoken by a young man who claimed to know the truth about her.

_"You're just as selfish and self-centered as the rest of them!"_

And then her own thoughts at the time came back to her, too.

_I'm not like everyone else. I'm different, I'm better - I know I am!_

Cinder's hands trembled at her sides. _Then why aren't you acting like it?_

She jumped to her feet, striding resolutely up to Bondi. She looked her in the eye, and tried to put on a smile. "I'm sorry. I was being really...rude. Wasn't I? Could we just- start over? Please? I'd love to just...spend some time with you. Get to know you." She reached out hesitantly, and patted one of the bears on the head. "What does Krystal think?"

"T-that's Apricot..."

"Well?" Cinder persisted, keeping her voice even.

"She'd love to!"

"Great." Cinder sat herself down on the floor, crossing her legs uncaringly in her short red dress. "So...where did you get these things? They're-" What was a good word? A recent word... "-cute," she settled on. "Really cute."

Bondi sat with her, her Semblance activating again to give life to her toys. All of them this time.

Cinder gritted her teeth and forced her smile wider. "Should you be doing that? You have a match today, don't you?"

"M-my Aura recharges f-faster than most," Bondi said quietly, with a shy smile. "B-but thanks...I'll be okay in time for the fighting."

"Great," Cinder repeated, turning her head this way and that as the toys began running circles around both of them. Weaving between them to make occasional figure eights.

"I-I've always had them," Bondi spoke again, much quieter than before. Almost a whisper. "I g-grew up in a village outside of the k-kingdom of Vale."

"Okay. How did you get from there to here?" Cinder asked, honestly a bit curious now.

Bondi wrung her hands, shoving them into her lap. Her head dropped, a shaking breath was drawn. "I, um, I g-guess I just...I always knew what I wanted to do in life. S-so when I was old enough, I came h-here to try being a huntress."

"Okay..." Cinder drew the word out, exasperated. How vague could a girl be? She was actually _asking_ for details for once, and the girl _didn't_ want to tell her her life story? "Good for you," she added, trying to restrain her sarcasm. "How did you even find out what your Semblance was?" If Bondi wasn't going to be direct, then she was going to do it for her.

"I w-was just c-cold and lonely one n-night, and I made a wish, I guess...and it came true..."

"Why were you lonely? _How_ could you be lonely enough to unlock a Semblance?"

Bondi began to sniffle and shake all over, arms going around herself. All five of her stuffed bears stopped their run around game and ran to her, hugging her from all sides.

"Listen - sorry - I didn't meant to-" Cinder started.

Bondi shook her head, and hugged herself more firmly. Some incoherent noises emerged, some attempt at speech. But Cinder had no clue what the words even _were_.

"Oh great, look what you did..." Nora exclaimed, huffing.

Ren dropped down beside his teammate in an instant, putting a hand on Bondi's shoulder. His lips close to her ear. A little, quick murmur of, "Do you need me to...?"

Another shake of Bondi's head. Some strangled word that might have been yes - or equally as much a chance of being "no."

Ren's hand squeezed the girl's shoulder. "...you sure?"

Another head shake. A definite, blubbering sounding, "No..." this time.

Ren sighed, patted Bondi, and his Aura shimmered. His body took on a dull, discolored look. This lack of color extended from him to Bondi, crossing over from his hand to her shoulder.

Bondi gave a shuddering breath, and then she raised her head and started swiping at her blotchy face, tearful eyes. She turned and hugged Ren, and after a minute, all her trembles had ceased. She seemed about back to normal, when they parted, and color returned to them both.

"Sorry," Cinder offered again, through a tight throat. "I shouldn't have asked."

"It's fine..." Bondi whispered, nodding at her. She looked extremely embarrassed, not making eye contact for more than a second. Of course, that was how she usually was...so who could tell?

"Sorry," Cinder repeated, rising from the floor and turning away. She threw herself onto her bed, face-first, and pulled her pillow down over her head.

_Why do I fail at everything? Even things as simple as talking to people - it's supposed to be simple, isn't it? So why is it so damn hard?!_

* * *

After the announcers were done announcing things, Cinder's team walked out into the arena for their first match in the Vytal Tournament.

The symbols showed on the screen, and the arena began to shift, rising up from the ground.

There were dozens of various floating platforms, walkways in L shapes, and walls of many lengths and widths littering the entire arena's air space - it was all squares, rectangles, and smooth sides. Some faces of these walls and platforms were outline in a purple glow, while others were white. Everything was floating at different heights compared to one another. From low to the ground, to far at the very top heights of the arena's open ceiling, which was protected by Hard Light Dust shielding.

"Gravity Dust," Pyrrha remarked. "White means the surface is exerting gravity's pull, while purple means it isn't."

"Gravity...Atlas tech," Cinder muttered hatefully. "Of course I'd get the biome _they_ contributed to the tournament, first thing off..."

"Just stay focused," Pyrrha told her, touching her arm. "Focus on winning."

"I will," Cinder nodded, setting her jaw and drawing her blades. She began to twirl them about, limbering herself up. Trying to get her mind off Atlas.

The opposing team emerged. A team comprised of Penny, and three other girls Cinder had no clue about (nor cared about; all they were going to be to _her_ , were obstacles to victory).

Penny beamed at her and waved, jumping up and down on the spot as they came to face one another. "This is going to be _so fun!_ You've been looking forward to this for so long now - I hope you're as excited as I am!"

Cinder couldn't help but smile. "It _is_ going to be fun," she agreed. She paused. "But that doesn't mean I'm not here to win," she cautioned her friend. "Even against you - I won't hold back, Penny."

Penny's smile just grew wider than ever. She brought her hands to her chest and hopped again. Then, she adopted a serious expression, and gave a salute. "Neither will I, Cinder my friend! I promise to give you the best fight you could ever hope for! I want it to be worth it for you; I want you to really remember it after!"

"Thanks," Cinder stammered, her cheeks heating up. "I really...appreciate it."

Blake rolled her eyes and took out her sword; Emerald snickered from her left, pulling out her twin sickles.

Pyrrha blew a breath, and took her spear and shield in hand, adopting a combat pose.

Penny's backpack opened up, and her blades flew out to arrange behind her in a half-circle. She widened her stance and brought her arms up, ready to battle. "We're going to have such a wonderful time!"

"Y-yes..." Cinder flushed, looking away. She breathed, then replaced her swords on her belt and took her new bow off her back (a replacement acquired some weeks ago, for the one given to Azul). She took an arrow from her quiver and notched it, readied and waiting. She gazed at Penny alone, and offered a small grin despite herself. Penny was primarily a long range fighter, while Cinder was a close range combatant - most of the time. Her best bet was to keep distance between them, and match Penny in that way with her bow and Dust abilities (of which she had expanded in anticipation of the Tournament, by adding in more Dust variants than just her main three (Fire, Lava, and Earth Dust). Getting too close would open her up to just being completely swatted and swarmed by all those blades. She had to be able to dodge, weave and evade. As best she could, anyway. Because she knew Penny _did_ still _have a limit_ to her range with those things. It was a long, _long_ range...but it was there.

Keeping constantly on the move would also help against Penny, Cinder thought.

Cinder's gaze strayed to Penny's teammates. And settled on a single one of the three - a girl with dark skin, short dark blue hair, and blue eyes. She wore a white shirt and blue skirt combo, and had on a blue hat.

 _Hmm..._ Cinder swept the girl up and down, a telltale heat growing between her legs, to match the burning in her chest at the battle about to begin.

Pyrrha glanced at her, glanced at the girl - then back at Cinder. She sidled up to her with a single, gliding step and nudged her with an elbow. "Cinder - are you focusing?" she murmured into her ear.

"Oh, I'm focusing on _something_..." Cinder muttered back, out of the corner of her mouth.

Pyrrha's cheeks became tinged with pink, and her shoulders sagged where she stood. " _Please_ , admire our opponents later. You can't let them distract you from winning! Remember?"

"Ciel is very admirable, isn't she?" Penny spoke up cheerfully.

Cinder slapped herself in the face, shaking her head furiously. _No, bad mind - don't you dare fail me now! How idiotic would it be to lose because I failed my own self?! She's nothing, she's no one, she's not even- attractive! She's just...an enemy. She's Atlas, dammit! And that means that, no matter how sexy she is, she has to go down - and go down_ hard _! No regret, no mercy, absolutely relentless assault! Penny isn't technically Atlesian, but this girl...? She's all Atlas, right from their damn academy, made to enforce their disgusting laws in their even more disgusting kingdom! I bet she even joined because she thought it was right, just, and a good thing to do! Oppress people rather than help free them!_

Cinder gazed on Ciel anew, drawing her lips back in a snarl and giving her swords a powerful twirl with a twist of her wrists. That was it, yes; the flames had been stoked now, the fires were rising...the hate, the determination that had seen her through seven years of hell...

"Alright, it looks like you've fixed that problem - just don't go too far in the other direction," Pyrrha spoke softly in her ear. "Please: The last thing we need is to be disqualified for rule-breaking."

Cinder gave a simple nod, narrowing her eyes at Ciel. "I'm in control of myself."

"I believe you."

"We all believe you," Blake spoke, firm and quiet.

"I'm sure you've got this," Emerald said quickly, leaning over to pat Cinder's back, a big grin on her face.

"The match begins in three...two...one...!" Professor Port's voice echoed through the arena. "Begin!"

Far above them all, most of the undersides of the platforms and walkways changed from purple to white.

And suddenly both teams were being sucked up into the sky. Dozens of feet in open air, at a faster and faster speed!

Half way up, they changed to purple again, and many of the walls around them became glowing white; everyone was pulled apart in all directions, flipping and floating off into the chaotic array of platforms and walkways!

Too shiny, too neat, too artificial - pure Atlas, Cinder thought spitefully.

She was pulled over a large rectangular platform, whose greater size and closer proximity to herself yanked her down onto its surface.

Many of the walls around her shifted back to purple.

Cinder jumped to her feet, gripping her bow more firmly and sweeping her gaze around her. This was an incredibly chaotic, and very three-dimensional arena. It meant not just thinking about left and right, forward or back, but above and below as well. Was someone waiting behind a wall, standing sideways? Were two of her opponents waiting to flip up from the underside of this very platform and ambush her? Who knew? It require a great deal of keeping track of not just the shifting arena, but your enemies' positions. And your own team, of course, if you wanted to do anything like strategize.

In order to even start strategizing, Cinder knew she needed to get to Emerald first. She was the team's most powerful asset, the best support type they could have. That anyone could have. And Cinder intended to take fullest advantage of her friend's abilities.

Cinder found Emerald on a platform below herself, far out to the right. Emerald's eyes were locked to her - she was making her way to her all on her own already. Cinder smiled to herself, and rushed to meet her. She took a running leap off her platform, down to one lower. She hit and rolled, coming up on a knee. She leaped again to a far distant one, and then leaped right toward a long section of wall that was glowing white; gravity shifted for her, and her body turned sideways. Horizontal was the new vertical. She took a moment to let her mind adjust, then she ran on. She jumped from the edge and the world spun, and the pull of a very small platform's gravity caught her as she flew past it. She twisted around so she landed on her feet, and stopped to get her bearings.

Emerald was only a few platforms away, taking quick, far leaps. Only three more, and she came down in front of Cinder on the same, small platform. Cinder grabbed her arms to steady her as she bumped into her.

"Thanks," Emerald beamed, looking down at where Cinder was holding her with pure delight; Cinder let her go quickly, turning away with a hot face. "Soooo...what do you need me to do first?"

Cinder looked around the arena, thinking hard. At a far distant set of platforms above, on the clear other side of the arena, she could see Pyrrha engaged in combat with two of Penny's teammates. As for Penny herself, she was below Cinder and to the left, hurling blades and chasing after a nimble Blake. Blake was really at an enormous advantage in this environment, with her gun blade and ribbon attached; Cinder watched Blake leap out into open air, twist around and hurl her blade to embed it in the side of the platform, and swing herself down underneath, where she rolled onto the underside that glowed white with gravity. Blake stood up, upside down, and then took off running down the length of the platform. Penny was standing still, above, looking all around the edges of the platform for any sign of Blake.

"There," Cinder said, pointing to Blake and Penny's platform. "Penny is the biggest threat to us - we can deal with the others however we want. I need you against her - concealment, misdirection, anything you can think of to give us an edge. Don't put yourself at risk; though, Penny's smart enough that she'll probably go after you anyway," she concluded with a smile.

"Got it," Emerald said, nodding. "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't," Cinder said sincerely. "Now come on!"

They leaped from platform to platform together, running along walls and propelling themselves across the arena.

Penny had decided not to just wait for Blake to show herself, and had done a beautiful swan dive into a twisting flip underneath the platform, and was rushing at Blake with blades twirling like a deadly storm.

Cinder drew back her arrow as she glided through the air, burned its tip with her Semblance, and she fired it down at an angle; the arrow soared, flying right down past the platform of Blake and Penny's.

Penny turned to look, then returned her focus to Blake, giving it up as a clear miss.

Cinder smirked to herself, and flicked her wrist; the burning arrow curved upward sharply, drifted right, and struck Penny's backside.

Her smirk evaporated at the horrifying sight of the arrow piercing Penny's body, sinking in and burning her! A large area of the back of her dress burned away, and then the artificial skin covering of hers, and finally, the smooth metal of her body in a radius around the arrowhead began to glow bright orange. Penny whirled, letting out a loud cry and reaching back to tear the arrow free. She hurled it away, and across the distance her eyes found Cinder. Wide, upset, afraid?

Cinder gazed back at her, remorse surging in her. She let her bow fall to her side, hand falling from grabbing another arrow. She passed over Penny's platform, hitting and rolling. She slammed a fist into the floor, letting out a choked noise. _Why didn't you have your Aura up?! We're in the middle of a fight!_

The sounds of combat came from underneath the platform, and then Blake came swinging up over the side on her ribbon. A second later, and Penny was right on her, slashing and spinning her blades in a whirlwind!

Cinder pushed herself to her feet, clutching her bow, and aimed another arrow. She glanced at Emerald and snapped out: "Invisible."

Emerald nodded, and she stepped backwards as her eyes narrowed at Penny.

Cinder activated the newly added Ice Dust patches sewn into her dress, pulling up shards to fuse with the arrowhead - enough to fuse, but not enough to accidentally set it off yet. Dust manipulation was always such a delicate procedure, a careful balance. She let a breath go, and let the arrow go, a misty trail left behind it.

The arrow flew at Penny, embedding into the floor between her legs; the shards exploded, creating a thick, powerful ice mound around both of Penny's feet.

Penny wobbled, letting out a noise of surprise as she tried to move closer to Blake. She turned around, eyes wide, but from the way she swept her gaze left and right it was clear she saw nothing - Emerald was doing her work well. And then...Penny narrowed her eyes, and set her gaze exactly on Cinder.

Cinder froze. Then, she smirked and loaded another arrow. _There's literally no way she can see me - unless Emerald is fucking this all up somehow..._

Emerald put her hand to her head, intensifying her focus on Penny.

Cinder fired off an explosive arrow at Penny's feet.

Penny lashed out at Blake, sending her flipping backwards, then brought her blades in front of her in a circular fan arrangement, spinning them all rapidly; the arrow was caught in the fan, and sent flying off over the edge of the platform, where it exploded in empty air.

Penny tore her legs free and flew forward in a burst of Aura. Straight. For. Cinder.

Cinder gasped, swapping out her bow for her blades and rolling to the right. But Penny was turning, looking _right at her still_ , and then she began swinging her blades at her. Cinder blocked, dodged, and leaped away to the farthest edge of the platform. She sent a glare Emerald's way. "What the _hell_ are you even doing right now?! Why can she see me?"

"She shouldn't!" Emerald stammered, staring at Penny with total shock. "She shouldn't see or hear _either of us!_ "

Penny turned, and then she looked right at _Emerald_. Her lips formed a sweet smile, and she lunged at Emerald with a dozen blades flying forward in a line.

Emerald broke off her concentration and flipped high over Penny's head, slashing down at her with her sickles. Penny swung her blades upward and back; several broke off from the line and darted forward, slashing across Emerald's ribs, her shoulders, and once between her legs. Emerald's Aura flared with every swift strike, and she landed behind Penny a little off kilter. She backflipped twice and shifted her sickles to guns, and began unloading on Penny.

Penny swirled her blades behind her before she even turned around, blocking the bullets.

Blake came rushing in for Penny with a shadow clone, swinging her dual blades furiously.

Penny separated her blades into two groups, slashing at Blake and Emerald simultaneously.

Cinder leaped at Penny from the side, rolled under two blades Penny swiped out at her horizontally with, and came up slashing as quick as she could inside her reach. Penny leaned left and lashed out with a boot, kicking Cinder in the stomach and sending her sliding backwards. Emerald fired on Penny again, running at her as she did. Penny swung her blades as she straightened up, fully facing her now and bringing all her blades to bear.

Blake threw her ribbon at her and flipped over Penny's head, wrapping her up and coming down in a roll on the other side. She tugged hard, and the ribbon squeezed Penny's arms to her sides. The blades drooped in the air, surprisingly. Then they flew for Blake. Blake dodged left, jumped backwards and pulled hard on the ribbon. Penny went with the motion, committing to a front flip - and then another, and a third, and then she was flying for Blake in a corkscrew. Penny's boots collided with Blake's face, and the ribbon finally came free as Blake slammed back into a wall, her Aura flaring.

Emerald kept her distance, narrowing her eyes at Penny once more - trying her Semblance again.

Penny turned around, her eyes fixing on a point of empty space on the platform. Then she narrowed her eyes, and she looked Emerald in the eyes. She smiled and _waved!_ "Hello there! I'm afraid that your Semblance just isn't going to work on me. You should conserve your Aura!"

"Penny, you don't give your enemies advice in a fight!" Cinder said, exasperated.

Penny smiled. "But you do give your _friends_ advice!"

"Not in a fight!" Cinder insisted, shaking her head.

"I've never fought with friends before. I will refrain from doing that again."

"Good," Cinder replied earnestly. She flexed her fingers and pulled more Ice Dust out of her dress; she sent out several blasts of ice for Penny with direct manipulation from her hand.

Penny used three blades to intercept the ice blasts even as she continued to press her assault on Emerald with eight others, keeping Emerald on the backfoot in a near panic now.

Then, the single free blade she wasn't using twisted around in the air, pointing at Cinder. The tip glowed green, and an energy blast suddenly flew out at her!

Cinder threw herself to the right to avoid the laser beam, then left as it fired again almost instantly!

She found herself grinning, and even _laughing_. This was just _incredible_ , it was- "Penny, _you're amazing!_ "

Penny gave a grin of her own, sparing a glance while she kept Emerald occupied with her multitude of blades. "I did tell you I wanted this to be a fight you could remember! I want to make this as fun as I can!"

"It _is_ fun," Cinder admitted, throwing herself into a twisting front flip to avoid another laser beam. The beam fired again at her in mid air, and she crossed her swords to block it, taking it on her Aura - it sent her flying back to slam into a glowing white wall. She stood up and thrust her hand down for Penny, sending out a fire blast. And then several more in succession. "But I'm still going to beat you!"

"We shall see about that!" Penny declared with pure joy. She blocked several strikes from Emerald and Blake, and then stabbed a line of blades at Emerald that connected with her chest, sending Emerald flipping away off the platform's edge! She slashed and fought against Blake, positioning her blades around her facing inward; lasers began blasting out, forcing Blake to dodge with shadow clones in rapid succession! Blake was heaving, twisting and rolling, all the while fending off Penny's physical blade strikes! She was struck several times by laser beams, and then finally Penny flew at her and slashed her across the chest. Blake fell back, her Aura flaring bright, holding her blades out in front of herself.

A loud buzzer sounded, and Port's voice echoed out with, "Blake Belladonna's Aura has fallen into the red - therefore she has been eliminated from the match!"

Cinder turned to stare at the screen. Blake's Aura meter _was_ red, for sure. She sighed, then steeled herself for what she had to do next. Even against Penny, _she had to win!_

Blake strode for the edge of the platform, gave a shrug and a thumbs up to Cinder. "Good luck!" she called, smiling warmly. Then she fell backwards off the platform with her arms spread wide.

Penny turned her full attentions to Cinder now. A dozen blades were arranged in the air, and from all of them a barrage of laser beams erupted.

Cinder flipped backwards up the wall, again and again, slashing her blades to block what she couldn't avoid. Then she swiped her hand in front of her as she pulled plain Earth Dust from her dress; she created a several foot long, one foot wide wall of hardened rock in the air before her. It took several blasts, but they were quickly burning through. Cinder smiled to herself, triggering her Semblance. The heated wall broke apart and transformed into several long daggers of burning rock, which she sent flying down for Penny with a nudge of her mind.

Her four daggers flew true, dodging and weaving to avoid Penny's attempts at blowing them apart with more _nudges_ from Cinder, until they slammed into Penny's chest. They hit her hard, sending her skidding back and burning her on contact. Penny let out a cry, and brought up a hand to stamp at her chest. Then she squared herself and aimed her blades up at Cinder once more, firing more lasers.

Cinder backflipped and rolled, until she finally reached the top. She grabbed the ledge and flipped herself up over it, twisting around on her palm and sliding down the other side, which thankfully, also glowed white for gravity. She ran down its length to the bottom, and then she kicked off, soaring off for a high, nearby platform in an "L" shape. She lined up perfectly, grabbing the edge and swinging herself up onto it, resting on a knee.

She gazed around, and saw Penny step up very gracefully atop the wall she had left behind. Penny waved at her across the distance, and began firing more lasers. Cinder dodged and weaved on her platform, desperately scanning the arena as she did. Cinder spotted Pyrrha far away, fighting all three of Penny's teammates at once (and handling them with furious but collected movements, every motion considered and planned). Cinder glanced at the screen, and was just in time to see Ciel's Aura go into the red at a point blank blast of Pyrrha's rifle, slammed up into her gut before firing.

Ciel flew off the platform and fell far, but slow due to gravity's effects (sadly). She hit the ground below, and the buzzer sounded: She was out.

Cinder ran and leaped off her platform, flying across a massive distance of empty space in Pyrrha's direction.

Penny bent her knees atop the wall, put her boot sole to the edge, and then her blades were all arranged behind her back. They exploded with energy all at once, and Penny came rocketing through the air toward Pyrrha as well! Far, far faster than Cinder was moving.

As they moved, Cinder realized the truth of Penny's intentions: at their speeds, at the angle...Penny was looking to intercept Cinder!

As soon as Penny was within her considerable range, her blades began to surge for Cinder, swirling in circles and patterns furiously.

Cinder slashed with her blades, blocking, reflecting as they twirled and spun wildly through the air now, but still on trajectory for Pyrrha's set of platforms.

Cinder pulled Ice Dust off her dress and flung it at Penny's blades, freezing several of them at once. She lashed out with a boot, kicking Penny in the chest and exploding her Aura, sending her flying away from herself. She needed room. She drew her bow and fired an arrow tipped with Earth Dust; it struck Penny in all her wild spinning, hardening over more of her blades. Cinder pulled another arrow in an instant, and let it go: this one was a Fire Dust arrow.

It struck Penny in the back, a path clear now due to a lack of blades to be used to block with, and it exploded.

Penny screamed, flipping even more wildly through the air! She was soaring off course from Pyrrha's platforms, and she missed them by a wide margin. She began slashing her blades and firing lasers, breaking the ice and earth. She slammed into the forcefield that separated the arena from the stands, letting out a cry on impact. She gasped a breath, and then her blades arranged themselves around her, and she bents legs and arms and pushed off from the forcefield. She began firing lasers out behind herself, accelerating herself and course correcting her trajectory.

Cinder pulled another arrow and fired it off - an Ice Arrow. Penny blocked it very precisely, knocking it away by its length, not letting the tip get a chance to explode on her blades again and bind them up like before. Cinder fired another, and another, and a third, faster and faster, superhuman reflexes, not even looking! She fired and fired, until she was down eight arrows. But she was near Pyrrha's platform now!

Cinder twisted around and blasted out Fire Dust from her hands, taking a page out of Penny's adorable little book to boost herself the last bit of distance she needed quickly. She rolled backwards as she hit solid ground again, flipped herself up and whipped her head back, her hair flying out of her face.

Pyrrha immediately began moving toward her, leading her two opponents over to Cinder to make it a two versus two.

Cinder payed glance to the rapidly approaching Penny; it wasn't going to stay a two versus two for too long.

Cinder threw herself at the enemies, slashing and slicing with her blades viciously. She got in their faces, she kicked and elbowed, she threw them at Pyrrha, who would send them back at her with blasts of her rifle, or quick bashes with her shield.

They played ping-pong with the enemies, knocking them back and forth between themselves, keeping them entirely off-balance.

Working down their Auras...until the buzzer went off twice in a row.

Cinder kicked her enemy in the face with a high, flexible leg, sending them flying off the platform.

Pyrrha gave her a little shake of her head, but also...a small smile. Pyrrha gave _her_ opponent a gentle push off the platform, and she came to stand beside Cinder with weapons at the ready. A hand was ran through her beautiful red hair, made even more beautiful somehow from all the sweat drenching it, and glistening on her body.

Cinder risked a quick squeeze of her buttocks and a kiss on the cheek as they waited for Penny to land.

Pyrrha blushed furiously, shaking her head again. " _Cinder!_ "

"What?"

" _That's going to be recorded on international television archives forever!_ " Pyrrha cried out, already looking to the screen displaying an up close view of the pair of them for the spectators. "My _mother_ is watching this right now! Oh my goodness, what is she even going to think about this?!"

"That you have an incredibly brazen girlfriend?"

"Cinder!" Pyrrha whined. Actually _whined_ , for what had to be the first time Cinder could ever remember out of her. "We are- we are talking about this after this match!" She puffed her cheeks and narrowed her eyes at Cinder. The closest Pyrrha Nikos could ever get to real anger (with Cinder, anyways).

"Okay, but you know I-"

Penny came flying in like a rocket, skidding across the ground and slashing her blades left and right for both Pyrrha and Cinder!

Cinder and Pyrrha moved as one, closing the distance and assailing Penny with everything they had.

Penny was a force of nature, a storm in her own right, blades swirling all about her, lasers blasting out at intervals - sometimes the blades would even fly out past their heads and fire inward at them, or at their backsides!

Penny was still going, but Cinder and Pyrrha were getting tired.

 _Unfair robots,_ Cinder thought.

Penny swirled her blades and knocked Pyrrha away, then turned and slashed Cinder across the stomach and kicked her away with a blast of lasers behind herself to accelerate on a dime - and put a hell of a lot of force into it!

Cinder went flying off the platform, into helpless open air again. Pyrrha hurled her shield out at Cinder; Cinder grabbed it, and Pyrrha clenched her fist and swung her arm inward. Cinder was dragged back onto the platform, and the shield flew out of her grasp back into Pyrrha's again.

Cinder grinned, and flew at Penny once more.

Penny swung her blades low, suddenly breaking all patterns and sweeping Cinder off her feet. She surged her blades down for her, pelting her with a dozen blades she couldn't hope to avoid, each hit taking down more of her Aura!

Pyrrha threw her spear for Penny and came flying in with her shield swinging on her arm.

Penny knocked the spear away with a flurry of blades, and turned to raise her hands to block Pyrrha's shield strike. Penny's blades hovered around Pyrrha, and began firing lasers at her nearly point blank.

Pyrrha flipped back, throwing herself about in incredible split second dodges. But she stumbled, she twisted on her arm once, and caught a blast in the stomach that flared her Aura.

Suddenly a flurry of green Dust rounds splattered against Penny's backside, causing her to stagger.

Cinder stared.

Penny whirled, staring too.

"Yeah, I'm still in the game." Emerald cocked her head and opened fire with another volley.

Penny ran at Emerald now, but was stopped by Cinder blitzing her in interception.

Pyrrha called her spear to her hand and rushed at Penny from the other side.

Penny was flinging her blades every which way, her body moving and turning frantically.

Then Emerald narrowed her eyes, a hand to her head.

Penny glanced at her. "I told you those won't work on me, remember?"

"Yeah - but that's not the trick."

Penny blinked with confusion. "What-"

Cinder pulled every ounce of Ice Dust she had left in her dress, put her hands together, and unleashed a powerful, massive stream of icy magical power. It enveloped Penny completely, and her entire body froze over in a matter of seconds. Even as Penny tried to turn, her mouth wide and her eyes even wider, her arm rising to swing her blades.

Cinder stood, heaving and gasping.

Penny was as an icy statue now.

The arena was silent around them.

Cinder strode forward, lifted a hand, and planted her palm against Penny's chest.

And she used her Semblance one more time.

She superheated the ice, melting it away, and reaching Penny within as she did.

Cinder watched the screen carefully, watching Penny's Aura meter drop into the red.

Then, she let her Semblance go, and stepped away.

The buzzer sounded.

The ice melted slowly, and Penny began to move, shattering it more and more until she was free.

Penny fell to her hands and knees at Cinder's feet.

Cinder dropped down with her, reaching for her shoulder. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you again, did I? I tried not to, I-"

Penny looked up at her, and smiled. "Don't worry; you didn't hurt me again! Thank you for giving me such a fun time today! It was wonderful."

Cinder helped Penny up, lifting her by the hand. She smiled, too. "It was really fun, and _you_ were wonderful, Penny. Half of the things that you did, I never thought you could!"

"I can be very creative, too," Penny said gleefully.

"You really can," Cinder agreed, a warmth blooming in her chest. Then, on some impulse, she hugged Penny.

Penny squealed with joy, and then hugged her back, lifting Cinder off her feet before setting her down again.

Cinder stumbled back, grabbing her arm and flexing her fingers. "Ow - thanks." She glanced at Pyrrha, and grinned. "Pyrrha needs a hug too...a nice big one."

Penny threw herself at Pyrrha, squeezing her hard enough to flare her remaining Aura.

"I don't need a hug!" Emerald said quickly, holding up her hands. She glanced at Cinder. "You wouldn't do that to me too, would you?"

Cinder smirked. "Come now, we're all friends here. Friends need hugs..."

"Ah- yeah, you know what? Screw that! That _hurts_ , Cinder!" Emerald turned and leaped off the platform before Penny could advance on her.

Penny looked absolutely _crushed_. "We are friends, aren't we?"

"Of course we are - she just didn't want a hug right now, that's all," Pyrrha said swiftly. "And you were a bit...over-enthusiastic, sadly."

"I see. I will try to be more conscious of my enthusiasm levels!" Penny said firmly, nodding.

"Good," Cinder laughed.

The arena began to shift, the platforms lowering to the ground - the Gravity Dust powering off.

It only really hit Cinder then, to her surprise (she had been having _too much fun_ ): she had won.

She had won her first match, her first team battle!

_One step closer to victory. To destiny._

* * *

Cinder and her team left the arena, walking out into the stands. They stood together with Penny, casually conversing.

"You were all fantastic out there!" Penny said earnestly.

"Thanks," Cinder said, smiling.

Penny was unfortunately stolen away from them by a very insistent, rude Ciel of Atlas (Cinder glared at her backside, hating that she also admired it).

Cinder's team walked along the stands for the nearest exit tunnel together, as crowds began to disperse in match's aftermath.

Soon Cinder slowed to a halt, staring ahead at the lone figure standing in front of her in the moving crowds. She blinked rapidly to dispel the vision, but it didn't go away. Her lips parted in disbelief, and a gasp escaped them.

"Uh, Cinder, are you okay?" Emerald asked instantly.

Pyrrha touched Cinder's arm, following her gaze into the crowd. "What's wrong?"

With a great smile on her face, Cinder broke away from her teammates, racing through the crowds without a single damn given; she elbowed and shoved her way through, running full out now. Until she cleared it, out on the other side. " _You're here, you came back, I never thought I'd-_ " She flung herself at him, her arms wrapping around his neck. She clung to him, burying her face in his chest. His hand patted at her head, his arms going around her in return. A little noise of surprise - then, a sigh of contentment. He stroked her hair and took her shoulders, holding her at arm's length.

Rhodes looked Cinder over, smiling at her broadly. "I've never missed the Vytal Festival if I can help it. And I just knew you were going to enter it if you could." He paused, gazing into her eyes. "Cinder - you know, a couple months back, I saw your broadcast, and..."

"Y-yes?" Cinder breathed, stepping back and clutching her arm. Anxiety blooming more fully than it ever had in recent months.

"I've never been more proud of you, Cinder!"

"Thank you!" Cinder exclaimed, throwing herself at him again, arms around his neck as she hung off of him like a much younger girl.

"Cinder, who is this?" Pyrrha was staring at her with complete surprise - and a fair amount of confusion. But she was smiling, smiling for _her_. For her smile.

Cinder let go of Rhodes and turned to her teammates, who were varying levels of confusion and shock, all. "Right - this is my m-mentor, Rhodes. He's the reason I was able to become a huntress," she explained. Cinder put her hands together, nodding at her team. "Rhodes, these are my friends - my team. Their names are-"

Rhodes chuckled, gesturing down to the arena. "I saw you in there, just now, Cinder - I know who they are: Pyrrha Nikos, Emerald Sustrai, Blake Belladonna. It's good to meet you all." He offered his hand to Pyrrha. Then, Emerald, and then Blake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," Pyrrha said firmly.

Rhodes looked at Cinder, and gave her hair a good tousling. "You've really grown, haven't you? Just like I hoped you would. I saw what you did with that one." He nodded to Pyrrha, who immediately went bright red and looked away. "Was that just how Vale affection works, or have you found yourself a nice girlfriend? I think I'm just in time to start mercilessly teasing you about it, if so..."

"S-she _is_ my girlfriend - but you can't tease me about it!" Cinder said quickly, stomping a foot and crossing her arms.

Rhodes crossed his arms right back, grinning. "I can't? Says who?"

"Me!" Cinder stated.

"Yeah?" Rhodes laughed, and patted her head again. "You might have made it into the Vytal Tournament, but you're still three years out from being a full fledged huntress. Which means I can tease you all I want..."

"Try it," Cinder retorted, lifting a hand and bringing flames to her palm. The last of her flames. Her dress lit up orange.

Rhodes nodded, impressed. "Dust Weaving, huh? That's old school - but it takes talent. You learned that in your first year here?"

"I learned it in my first few _months_ here," Cinder said, self satisfied.

"With a few explosions along the way," Blake said with a snort.

"Shut up," Cinder snapped, closing her fist and letting the flames die.

Blake put hand on hip, rolling her eyes at her. "You told us that _yourself_ , Cinder."

"No I didn't!" Cinder growled. "Quiet already!"

"Let's not embarrass Cinder here, please," Pyrrha said quickly, grabbing her arm and sending a _look_ at Blake. "I'm sure this is a very important reunion for her."

"Yeah, how about we don't bring up exploding Dust in front of Cinder's- mentor!" Emerald glared at Blake. "Do you want the guy to think she's an incompetent idiot? Because she isn't!"

"Sorry..." Blake muttered, ducking her head and stepping back.

"Thank you, Pyrrha - Emerald," Cinder gritted, pulling her arm from Pyrrha's grasp. She fixed her eyes on Rhodes. She hesitated, looking down. "Do you...?"

"Yeah?" he said simply.

"Want to go get popcorn?"

Rhodes smiled. "Why not?"

* * *

After several hours together, just spent talking all about Cinder's time at Beacon, Rhodes told her he had to go.

Just like always. Like before.

He touched her head, and she hugged him, and then he left. But, as always, with the promise that he'd be back the next day.

But before he did go, Cinder insisted on exchanging scroll numbers (she didn't want to ever lose him again in her life!).

Cinder returned to her dorm after what felt like the longest day of her life. A day of victories and fun, and even pleasant surprises - but completely exhausting.

Late into the night, after her teammates were all asleep, Cinder went into the bathroom for a drink of water.

Shifting from the other room, and then Pyrrha was striding into the bathroom, hair loose and messy, clad in pajama pants and a top.

Cinder set her glass down and turned, smiling at her. "Hey..." she said quietly.

"Hello." Pyrrha smiled back.

Cinder moved aside, sitting down on the closed toilet lid and gesturing to the sink. Pyrrha took up the glass and got herself a long drink of cold water. Then, Pyrrha leaned against the sink and turned to face Cinder.

"You know...you never once mentioned a mentor - but I'd assumed you had to have had someone, to have gotten into Beacon at all," Pyrrha began, slow, and very quiet. "And, well, I _had_ noticed that your skill level is far too high for someone who- even from our first few fights. I only want to know one thing, please, if you can help me understand: why did you never mention him? In anything you've ever said before about your past? Did something go wrong, did he- why didn't you?"

Cinder looked away, grasping for her arm. "I'm not sure - I g-guess it's just...how do I say this...?" She growled at herself, stamped a foot on cold tile.

"It's alright if you don't quite know how to express your feelings. Feelings can be very complicated, even to ourselves."

Cinder nodded, drawing breath. She let it go, and let her chin fall to her chest. "I...He was the only good thing to happen to me in Atlas. I was _ten_ , and I w-was lonely, and I was- h-hurting, and it was every day, just, work work work, burn and burn, a-and take every insult, every time I got tripped or pushed, every time f-food was flaunted in my face and I couldn't touch it...And then he came into my life after a few months in that place. A huntsman! I didn't c-care at first - I just wanted his weapon. I stole his sword, and he came to me later that night and told me he knew my situation. He told me...he knew what I was thinking, taking the sword. That it wouldn't make my life better." She risked a glance up. Pyrrha was looking so kind, so patient, but...so conflicted. But Pyrrha only gave her a smile, and a nod. Encouraging, loving. But none of that could erase the flash of horror that crossed her face for the briefest of instances.

"I...couldn't ever blame a ten year old girl for wanting to do t-that," Pyrrha spoke softly, though with a bit of a hitch to it. "Just...anything to escape from that kind of horrible treatment...I can understand how you would think to do that at the time, I suppose."

Cinder breathed relief, and she smiled. "Rhodes said the same thing. But he didn't want me to go through with it. Instead, he offered to train me to be a huntress. I wanted to be free, like him - to be able to go wherever I wanted, do whatever I wanted in life. I d-dedicated myself to that for seven years, until I could finally leave. And I chose Beacon, and now here I am, and...I'm free, and I'm happy, and I'm three years out from finally reaching that dream! Everything I ever went through, everything I've worked for, _so hard for_...because of _him!_ "

Pyrrha nodded. "You will be a huntress - I promise you. I'll do anything I can to help you achieve your dreams."

"Thanks. I-" Cinder stopped herself. Then, her mind cleared. She had to try again. "I guess how I feel is...that it was the only good thing I had in those years, and it was _mine_ , and I...wanted to keep it just - mine. Just for me."

"We often do hold our most precious memories to ourselves," Pyrrha said quietly. "We want to treasure them, always, in our souls. Because they're so special, and they warm us in a way nothing else ever could. I understand that, and I'd never be upset with you for it. If you wanted to keep those...yours..."

"Right. That's it. Though, I guess...they're _ours_ now," Cinder replied.

"Thank you for being willing to tell me these things - to share this with me."

"You're welcome," Cinder whispered. She paused. "I- I'm glad to," she admitted.

Pyrrha smiled again. "I'm glad that you're glad."


	25. Vytal: Day Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an extremely INTENSE, stressful, very emotional chapter all the way through! There is a suicide attempt, and aftermath events depicted!!! I cried several times over trying to write all of this. So if you have to, it's okay too! Take breaks please.

Cinder woke very early, as the previous day - but this time, of her own accord.

She yawned, stretched, and jumped out of bed with a smile on her lips.

_Time for another long day of combat tournament winning. My, isn't fulfilling one's destiny just wonderful..._

Cinder dropped to her knees beside her nightstand, reaching underneath it until her fingers found the cords. She pulled the lightning dust necklace out, clenching it in her fist before setting it on her bed. She pulled her combat dress out of the drawers, along with all her Dust Weaving items - needles and threads, and a few crystals of Dust out of the collection she had filling up an entire drawer on their own - and got to work. She spent the next hour doing this painstaking work on her outfit, managing her Aura through the process and keeping her body very, very still. After finishing, she let out a breath of relief: It was perfect again.

Cinder put on her dress and took up the necklace, giving it a hard squeeze, then shoved it down into her bra and wrapped the cords several times around the link between the cups.

She stood at last.

_Destiny awaits._

After several hours of waiting for her teammates to get all woken up and ready to go as well, they held a very brief team meeting to confirm the obvious: that their doubles match this evening was going to be Pyrrha and Cinder versus whoever else - the two obviously superior fighters of their team.

While they were killing a bit more time together, just hanging out, the door to the dorm room resounded with a very timid knock.

A single little knock.

Cinder almost passed it off as someone being an idiot out there (probably Team RWYJ).

When it came again, she crossed the room and pulled the door open.

And found the most perplexing sight to greet her there.

Standing out in the hall, was Bondi. Around her in formation were her five stuffed toys. They had long-stemmed flowers in their...hands.

"What?" Cinder uttered.

Then the bears began to jump and flip around each other, off of each other, a routine that lasted a full minute, before they took a coordinated bow with that array of flowers held out, lined up in front of Bondi.

"Okay, impressive - but why?" Cinder said blankly.

Bondi's head dropped, hands twisting at her waist. Incoherent mutterings and high noises spewed out of her.

Cinder gave her ten seconds. "Right, bye now." She turned away, putting her hand on the door.

Bondi's terrifying minions suddenly swarmed Cinder's legs, grabbing onto her and almost knocking her over.

Cinder froze, squirming and glare. "What the _hell_ is your problem? You have three seconds before I incinerate these things!"

Bondi's head came up, wide eyed and distressed. "I- I-..."

" _What_?" Cinder growled, giving a few firm kicks to try to dislodge the toys (to no success!).

"I- l-l l-"

"That's it, three seconds are over!" Cinder lit up her dress, conjuring flames to hand and shoving her palms down at her feet.

" _I l-like you!_ " Bondi exclaimed, almost _yelling_ at Cinder.

Cinder froze. The flames died, the glow of her Dust dress faded. "What?"

Bondi stepped away, shaking her head with shimmering eyes. Her hands clasped over her mouth of trembling lips. Her minions detached themselves from Cinder and went racing to their master's side, clinging to _her_ instead.

" _What?_ " Cinder reiterated, stepping forward into the hall and lowering her hands to her sides. "Did you just say that you _like me_?"

Bondi nodded.

Cinder stared at her. "I'm with Pyrrha," she said flatly. She turned on a heel and strode back into her room, shutting the door behind her. Irritation and even anger flared in her; how could Bondi even _think_ she could try to turn Cinder away from Pyrrha?! Sway her with flowers and some stupid dance routine? Romantic, sure, but to actually _try it_ _on her_? Cinder was committed, she was in an exclusive relationship, and she wouldn't hurt Pyrrha by betraying _that_ promise to her! How could Bondi be so stupid, so selfish, to actually try and make Cinder go back on that _when she knew she was with Pyrrha?_ Bondi _knew_ , and she had gone ahead and done it anyway!

Cinder's fists clenched, and she let out a growl to herself.

"Cinder..." Pyrrha started softly, putting a hand on her arm. "Wasn't that very sweet of her?"

"What? No," Cinder snorted. "How could you think that?! She thought she could actually get me to leave _you_ \- for _her?!_ "

"No, no - Cinder! She wasn't trying to _do_ anything...she just...wanted to speak her feelings to you. To just get those emotions out of her soul, off her chest! But she never- had any intentions of actually going through with them," Pyrrha said quickly, admonishing.

Cinder's anger subsided a little. "Really? All she wanted...was to just - say it?"

" _Yes._ I promise you. And it took her a great deal of courage to do it! We've been working with her on it for days now, trying to get her to do it. She failed yesterday, but-"

"So _that's_ what it was," Cinder interrupted. "You were all in on it, then?"

"Well, we were all trying to help her express herself, yes," Pyrrha said lightly. "It's quite difficult for her, you know. She's a very...very shy person."

"Huh..." Cinder sighed, looking to the door. "I...guess it was sweet of her, then? Sure? I'm...flattered?"

"Good." Pyrrha sighed too - with relief. She gave a smile, and patted Cinder's arm. "I'm sure she's very glad she finally managed to say what she wanted."

"Y-yes...right..." Why was there _guilt_ squirming around in her now?

_You know why, idiot: you could have been nicer about it...Pyrrha's always saying to be more tactful, a little less blunt - and abrasive...It isn't what you say, it's how you say it. And you said it badly._

Well, it wasn't like Cinder could take it back _now_.

She wished she could, though - it would have gotten rid of the guilt, too.

* * *

Cinder made it to Amity arena very early, wanting to make up for her rudeness to Bondi by being there to watch her team's match (part of the last few that hadn't been done yesterday, and the last before they moved on to doubles matches this evening).

It was Ren, Nora, Bondi and Wisteria against a team from Vacuo.

While the teams were entering the arena and getting the biomes chosen, Cinder took out her scroll and sent a text message to Rhodes - telling him to get up here so they could spend time together.

He replied that he would be there soon.

That just left Cinder with more waiting to do.

The match began after some twenty minutes, and Rhodes still hadn't shown up.

Cinder growled to herself; where was he, even? How long did it take to get onto an airship to Amity?

Part way through the match, in a biome of swamp and forest in combination, Pyrrha suddenly leaned forward in her seat, frowning.

"She looks really winded," Emerald was saying from Pyrrha's other side, frowning too.

"Who are we talking about?" Cinder asked.

"Wisteria," Blake spoke, pointing to the girl.

"She shouldn't be," Cinder said, shaking her head. "They haven't even been going that hard with this - she's barely done anything."

But she was.

As they watched, Wisteria suddenly fell to her hands and knees, dropping her multi-ammo type Dust Rifle. Her Aura shimmered, and was released of her own will - it hadn't been broken due to any kind of _damage_. In fact, the display still showed her Aura level as being in the high green. Even from this distance, Cinder could tell she was struggling just to stay up - her arms were shaking, and she looked like she was definitely struggling to breathe.

"Stop!" Ren actually _yelled_ , for the first time Cinder had ever heard out of the guy. He holstered his weapons and raced to Wisteria's side, holding a hand up to the other team as he touched her shoulder.

Nora put her hammer away too, and joined Ren at their teammate's side. Bondi ran over too, her gaggle of bears crowded around her legs.

The match-ending buzzer noise rang out despite both teams having healthy green Aura levels, and zero members eliminated yet.

"It seems we have some sort of situation in the arena with one of our combatants," Port spoke, calm and measured. "If everyone could please hold a minute - we need to figure out just what's going on in there."

Wisteria suddenly dropped flat, her arms giving out completely. Ren helped her sit up, bracing her on an arm. He was talking to her, so was Nora, but from this distance, Cinder had no clue what they were even saying.

Wisteria gave a few responses, but they were _few_ and far between.

Port's voice echoed again, highly serious, alarmed but composed, "We need our standing medical teams in the arena, immediately!"

Cinder watched multiple people in white garbs swiftly enter the arena, heading for Wisteria.

What was wrong with her?

The medics began talking to and doing work on Wisteria, then they put her on a stretcher and took her away.

Wisteria's team tried to go with her, but they were rebuked.

Ren, Nora and Bondi exited the arena the normal way, to much scrutiny from the audience.

"We should go and see how they're doing - if there's anything they need," Pyrrha spoke, standing. There was worry and even downright alarm written on her face.

"Sure," Cinder agreed, rising too. There was a little worry in her, too, worming around in there...

She began walking quickly with her team around the arena.

"Hi...Cinder," a quiet voice came from behind.

Cinder flinched, and froze. _No..._ Her hands trembled at her sides, and then one raised subconsciously to touch the tingling scars on her neck. _Why_...why was her past coming back now, at her greatest hour? Tournament victory! International fame! A huge cash prize! Her friends, popcorn and greasy foods, enjoying herself against Penny...Rhodes coming back into her life after so long apart it seemed like forever...

All this way, _all this time_ , and one of her worst nightmares was _here?_ Right here! Right here at Beacon? Right when Cinder was on the cusp of achieving everything she had ever dreamed of?!

She was here, here again - to screw with Cinder, to _screw her up_ , trip her up, see her punished again, see her _fail again!_ Fail _everything she'd ever dreamed, all she wanted - see everything she had, everything she had worked so hard for, be taken away from her!_

Would she spin lies for all Cinder's professors, for all her friends - for her teammates? Would she make them all leave Cinder, would she make her alone and pathetic and a worthless _nothing again_?

Was Cinder's entire _life_ going to crumble around her now...every bit of joy, every scrap of _love_ , every kindness, every victory...was it all going to mean nothing? Just like always, in the end?

Had Cinder really come so far, fought so hard _her entire life_ , just to fail again...?

Cinder turned around, shaking, and found the visage of her nightmares standing there as a solid reality.

That same face, those eyes, that blonde hair...

_No, no, no..._

"Pyrrha..." Cinder's own voice was so far away, so small and high. She hardly heard herself, barely _felt_ herself. "Please get me out of here. Now."

Pyrrha seized her wrist and whipped her around, dragging her off the opposite direction at a very fast walk. "Alright, we're going, it's all right, just focus, just breathe for me..."

"Cinder, wait, I'm-" The voice called after her, loud and shrill as ever.

Cinder winced; Pyrrha put an arm around her as she directed her on.

A small hand on her arm. Emerald's voice, so worried. "H-hey, what's going on with you - why did-"

" _Stay._ _Make sure she can't follow._ " Cinder choked the order out.

"O-Ok..." Emerald's hand slid off of her. Quick footsteps, retreating.

And then Blake was there on Cinder's other side, suddenly seizing her hand and pressing close to her body. She was silent, but ever present.

Pyrrha took her into a maintenance hallway, and then, into a room full of mechanical parts and shelves and boxes. A low droning noise filling up the room from some big machine in a corner. Pyrrha pushed Cinder down onto a large crate, and sat beside her on her left. Blake sat on her right.

Cinder drew a breath - and it came back out again as a broken sob. Not at all what she'd wanted. She turned and pressed herself into Pyrrha's arms, hugging her middle as more and more sobs escaped from her. Pyrrha's arms came around her, squeezing her firmly.

" _S-she's going to ruin e-everything, she's going to t-take it all away from m-me, she'll mess it all up! She'll m-make you guys go away, she'll make them all hate me, she'll...nobody's going to l-listen to me anymore, nobody's going to c-care anymore...I d-don't want to be alone again, I don't want to h-have **nothing** **again...** Please you can't l-leave me, you can't listen to h-her, please don't leave me alone..._"

"We won't," Blake said softly. "I swear we won't."

" _T-that's not what Adam said..."_

"What?" Pyrrha questioned, looking over Cinder at Blake.

Blake shrank away, letting Cinder's hand go and turning away. " _You_ shouldn't listen to _him_ , Cinder! I-"

_"He told me you l-left him already, that you left the White Fang already - and he t-told me you'd leave me too!"_

Blake jumped up and stumbled away, as if Cinder had struck her. Her fists balled at her sides, her lips pressed tight. "I- I told you not to listen to-"

"Is it true?" Pyrrha cut across, very quiet.

Blake looked away, her eyes glistening. "You can't understand - either of you! We were just-"

"Stop." Pyrrha stared at Blake for a long moment, her face tight. "Sit down, and we can just focus on the issue at hand: being here for Cinder. We can discuss...anything else...later. All right?"

Blake took a step back, shaking her head.

" _You j-just promised, a-and you're already going to break it! I've k-kept my promises to you, but you won't keep yours?"_ Cinder burst out, desperate, lifting her head to gaze at Blake.

With very tense, slow movements, Blake forced herself to move, and sat down with Cinder again. She grabbed her hand, and she bowed her head with a sharp intake of breath.

Cinder felt Blake's trembles joining her own now, where their bodies touched.

None of the girls said anything more to each other for a very, very long time.

Except for when Emerald found them.

Emerald dropped to her knees in front of Cinder, reaching to take her hands. "We got away clean. But, Cinder...who was she?"

"My stepsister."

* * *

"How- how are you feeling now?" Emerald's soft tones filled the dorm room.

Cinder lifted her head off of Pyrrha's chest, looking at Emerald. She adjusted herself on the bed; Pyrrha gave her arm a stroke, pulled the blankets up over them more securely. "Fine..." she whispered, hating her voice for still sounding a little hoarse, even four hours after the encounter.

Blake hadn't moved from _her_ bed - hadn't said a word to anyone. Hadn't even made eye contact with them. She looked ready to just spring up and bolt, any second now (Cinder begged her in her mind not to do that, not to leave her; she had never wanted to be _wrong_ about something so much in her life).

Cinder still wasn't fine, though. Especially because Rhodes had texted her three hours ago now, telling her he was sorry to have missed out on spending time with her, and that by the time he arrived he couldn't find her.

Cinder had responded by telling him it didn't even matter - something had happened.

He asked her what, but she had refused to answer; her scroll had beeped a few times since, over the hours, but Cinder refused to respond to a single one.

It was strange, after so long, she almost didn't want to see him again. She felt a dull anger, even, toward him. It confused her.

A little knock suddenly came at the door, tearing Cinder out of her own head.

Emerald crossed the room and opened it.

_Fear._

There the girl was, standing right there, right outside Cinder's _room_ , her _home_ , her friend's, her team's...

Cinder's breathing quickened, and she flung herself up from her bed and ran for the bathroom. She locked the door behind herself, back pressing to it.

_Why...why am I panicking, why am I freaking out? I'm strong now, I'm powerful now, I'm everything now - I need- I need-_

Anger, where was the anger, where was her endless reservoir of rage? Where was the will to _do_ , where was the fight, where was the fire?

Why was it all gone now, why was there just nothing, empty, cold inside?

Cinder slid down to the floor, her hand going to her throat, pressing, grasping.

Voices beyond the door.

"...I just came to tell her-"

"I don't _care_ what you're here for." Pyrrha's voice, hard. Tight. "All I _care about_ is that you're causing Cinder very severe distress; for that, you need to leave."

"Yeah, you think she _wants to_ see the face of her abuser just show up at her dorm?" Emerald spat. "Get lost!"

"I know, but I-"

" _No!_ " Pyrrha's voice was sharp, and loud. Then, it carried on, much more composed - her usual. "All that matters is that Cinder doesn't want to talk to you, or even see you again. We're not letting you in here, we're not letting you do that to her. She doesn't need that right now. Now leave, or we are going to have _serious problems_. Do you understand?"

"Please, just let me talk to her, I just have to tell her-"

"We're not letting you in!"

"Cinder, please-"

A loud crashing noise, and a cry.

"Hey, we said back off!" Emerald shouted furiously. "That's what happens!"

"I'm sorry! That's all I want to say!"

Cinder stood, twisting the lock and yanking open the door.

She forced her head up, she forced every step forward, crossing the room in a numb, distant place in her own head.

Pyrrha, Emerald - Blake was still on her bed, turned away.

And _her_.

Cinder pushed her way between her friends, standing right in front of her. For a long moment, she just looked at her. Looked past her, through her. The bloody lip already swelling, flowing freely from Emerald's punch.

"I'm sorry."

Cinder blinked at the familiar words. But they weren't spoken by the voice she knew so intimately. The words didn't come from _beside her_ \- but from in front of her.

She stared ahead, her whole body shaking. Arms limp at her sides.

"I'm sorry, Cinder. For everything I ever d-did, or said to you. You never...deserved any of it. It was wrong, and _I'm sorry._ "

Cinder stepped in closer to her stepsister. She drew breath, raised her chin - Amarill looked at her neck, then looked away. "You think you can track me down, walk up to me here and say sorry? Just like that? Like it makes it all better? Like it matters to me?"

"I-"

 _There_ was the anger she needed.

"I'll tell you what would have m-mattered to me," Cinder hissed, putting her face in Amarill's. She hated that there was still a little quaver in there, despite the rising fires. Her mind working again, the lights on in there. Despite... "What _would have mattered to me_ would have been if you had ever once tried telling your sister to _s-stop_ , or if you had ever _once_ tried to tell your _mother_ to stop when she was _electrocuting me repeatedly_ , or if you had _ever once_ done _a single kind thing for me!_ Like, oh, I don't know, sneaking me some food every night I was left _starving,_ or god forbid you just came into my room and sat with me for _a few minutes_ on the nights I cried and screamed myself to sleep because it was all just too much and _I WAS SO CLOSE TO BREAKING!_ _Or how about you just chose not to do anything to me at all - at least then I would have only had to worry about pain and humiliation from **one** person in that whole damn building!_"

"I- I was a kid."

"So was I."

"I didn't know better!"

"I did. I knew it was wrong at ten. Congratulations: it took you until nineteen to do the right thing, and only after I _escaped._ How much courage do you think that took you, compared with how much it took me just to _keep going sometimes?_ How much would it have taken you to have just _once_...just _one single time_... _to have_ _done anything good for me at all - or at least nothing bad!_ "

"I'm sorry!"

"I don't care. You put me through hell and _literal torture_ and you enjoyed every second of it! You enjoyed screwing with me, causing me to face that _over and over again!_ You knew what she was doing to me, you knew what making me _fail_ would mean - _what kind of punishment it was! And you kept doing that to me!_ "

"I-"

"You have _no idea_ how close I came to killing you - ** _all of you,_** " Cinder breathed, swooning on the spot with all the ways it made her feel to finally, finally say it out loud...and right to _her_ face! "Several times in my life! I was just so desperate and tired of it all, it was an eternity for me in that hell." She enjoyed the way her stepsister's face transformed with fear and horror. "Maybe you shouldn't tempt me again. But you came all this way...you really must want to die _so badly_..."

The girl stumbled back, mouth agape. "P-please!"

"I could snap your neck with one hand."

"Please don't-"

"Why not?" Cinder said tightly. " _Tell me._ "

"B-because it's wrong, it's murder!"

"Strange how that suddenly matters when it's _you._ "

"I said I was wrong, I said sorry, I know I bullied you, I know I _abused_ you, I know I never stopped it or even _helped you,_ and I-"

"Shut up." Cinder plunged her hand into her bra, and took out the necklace. She held it by its cords, dangling it. Then she tossed it disgustedly at her stepsister. It bounced off her chest and hit the floor at her feet out in the hallway. "I'm through with that forever, and I'm through with _you_ forever. Get out of my sight, and hope I don't see you again. I have a very hard-earned life to live here, and it's never going to include _you_. And if you _fucking dare try and screw it all up for me in any way...I swear to god I will kill you like I wanted to when I was ten!_ "

Cinder slammed the door in her stepsister's face, and stood there heaving every breath. Gasping. Pyrrha took her arm, Emerald took the other, and they led her back to her bed. Cinder sat down, growling and snarling at the world, at herself - because she just...

She flung herself down on her face and burst into tears all over again.

* * *

After winning their evening doubles match against Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao Long, Cinder felt significantly better about things.

A lot more back to normal, really.

She played a few board game rounds with her friends (which Blake had to be forced into, and even then, she still wouldn't look at anyone), did some snuggling with Pyrrha - and even a bit with Emerald - and then she had some real fun with forcing her team into trying on her vast array of outfits, to see how they all looked. Some looks just didn't work (whether because of colors, body type wrongness, or size mismatches), leading to a great deal of laughter between the girls.

When night fell on the second day, Cinder actually managed to relax again in her own bed.

She made Pyrrha read to her (old fairy tale books) as they cuddled, for old time's sake - she had missed Pyrrha reading things to her.

Cinder was nearly falling asleep when a light knock at the door brought her to full alertness.

Emerald rushed to answer it, a fist cocked. Then, she lowered it. "Oh, hey! What's up?"

Bondi was there again. Head down, her arms full of her bears.

"C-could I...please hang out with you guys?" she asked, in a remarkably less anxiety-ridden voice than usual. Hardly a stutter.

"Of course," Pyrrha said instantly. "Please, come on in!"

"F-for the night...?" Bondi added, in a whisper.

"You...don't want to sleep in your own dorm? With your team?" Pyrrha said quietly, eyeing Bondi with concern.

Bondi just shook her head silently.

"Sure." Blake, speaking for the first time in a while now. She dragged the blankets off her bed and threw them on the floor, along with a spare pillow. "You can sleep by the window, if you really want to."

"T-thanks..." Bondi shuffled in, dropping down onto the blankets and getting comfortable immediately.

Team Nebula looked at one another. Various shrugs and confused looks.

But...accepting.

Cinder made an effort to talk to the girl as the night went on, even started up a new few rounds of board games with her included in them. She _tried_.

Until it was dark, and her friends started falling off to sleep. Pyrrha went back to her own bed for that.

Cinder gazed at Bondi on the floor. "Is it...comfortable there?" she said quietly, awkwardly.

"Yes. Thank you." Bondi looked at her, and her semblance activated. Her bears sprang to life, covered in Aura that glowed faint purple in the dark room, and then they trooped across the room and climbed up onto cinder's bed.

"What're you-" Cinder began.

"You c-can sleep with them t-tonight...They really l-like you, and- you m-might like it too," Bondi whispered, giving a small smile.

"I'm not-"

"P-please...give it a t-try?"

Cinder sighed, eyeing the bears at the foot of her bed. "F-fine...sure...thanks? I think."

The bears dropped dead, Bondi's semblance let go.

Cinder breathed a bit easier, gathering the toys up and laying back in bed again. She stuffed them under the covers and curled up on herself, holding one in her arms.

It was...soft...warm. It had a nice smell to it, she supposed. A Bondi smell.

And she had never...gotten to do anything like this before in her life.

It was just- one more thing she had missed out on, but could experience now. That was it...

It was really nice...

Cinder drifted off with a smile on her lips, clutching the soft toy firmly to her chest.

* * *

Cinder woke abruptly.

It was still dark.

Silent.

Except some little shifting noises.

Cinder glanced at the clock - it was about two in the morning.

She rolled over and examined the room.

What was making the noise was obvious to see, even in darkness.

"Bondi, what are you still doing up? You won't do too well in the next match if you don't get some sleep..." Cinder said drowsily, rubbing her eyes and sitting up.

She paused as the shape in the dark moved against the moon's light.

Bondi was standing - had leaned herself out the window, hands gripping the sill.

Cinder put a hand to her face, shaking her head. "It's not _that_ hot in here - it's actually cold - no need to go sticking your whole...okay, what are you doing now? Really?" Cinder watched the girl, totally baffled; Bondi was lifting her leg up over the sill and pulling her whole body through, until she sat in it.

Cinder stood, moving for her, a bit more awake now. "Bondi? Are you going somewhere?" She set a hand on the girl's arm and stuck her head out the window, trying to get a look at her face.

She saw a face that just confused her, when it came to this anxious girl's usual set of expressions.

It was a very calm face. No, not calm: blank.

But there was a smile, a small one, almost relieved?

Cinder extended her Aura senses, eyes narrowed at Bondi. She snorted, shaking her head. "Why isn't your Aura even up? Listen, I know there's a ledge out there to put your feet on, but if you fall like this, you-"

Bondi's frame slid out from under her palm, leaving her arm raised to empty air. Bondi was falling forward- no, Cinder realized, she had actually _pushed herself off from the outside of the dorm building_.

Cinder threw her upper body out the window and seized Bondi's arms, as wide awake as she could ever be now, gritting her teeth as the girl slammed against the side of the building beneath the window.

"What the _hell_ are you even doing?" Cinder growled, straining to hold the girl up, gripping her arms tight just above the elbows. She was confused, she was pissed off, and she was _worried now_.

Bondi looked up at her, like she had just noticed Cinder had caught her at all. That empty look changed. The smile vanished. Pure horror, and fear, and a sudden sense of panic were written on her features now. " _I'm sorry, I'm sorry - I'm so sorry-"_

"Would you shut up and help me out here, you big bitch?!" Cinder yelled. "Grab the ledge - or use your Aura dammit! I'm not letting you go unless it's active! I'm not an idiot like you, just jumping out of windows without even caring!"

"My Aura _is_ on...you just d-didn't see it because you were asleep!"

"Bullshit!" Cinder snarled. "Don't even _try that with me! Do you think I'm an idiot?! I just said I'm not an idiot! I can sense it, and it's not active!_ "

"N-no, no, I'm- I'm _sorry_ , I didn't mean- I'm sorry!"

 _"Shut up!"_ Cinder pulled with all her might, putting her Aura into it, and the pair of them fell back into the dorm room, crashing down to the floor together in front of the window.

The commotion had woken her teammates.

"Cinder, what's going on?" Pyrrha, alarmed, flicking on the lamp on her nightstand.

"Are you seriously fighting with her at two in the morning?" Blake said hoarsely. "Ugh..."

"I'm up! What else is up?" Emerald said loudly, shooting up in bed. Her eyes went right to Cinder. As did Pyrrha's and Blake's.

"Y-you _damn stupid-_ " Cinder rolled on the floor and punched Bondi, then struck her again. "- _why?! Why were you even-_ " She slapped her, then slapped her again. She seized her up by her shirt and threw her across the dorm, far away from the window. She ran at her and slammed her to the wall, pinning her there by her arms. " _Why would you even do something like that?!_ "

" _B-because of y-you!_ " Bondi yelled, tears rolling down her face. She turned her head and cringed suddenly, at her own words.

Cinder let her go, taking a step back. "Me? What the hell did _I_ _do_ to make you think jumping out a window without Aura was a good idea?!"

Bondi shook her head furiously, sliding down to the floor. She drew her knees in and wrapped her arms around them, and then she let her head drop and started to cry in earnest. Wailing and sobbing, still shaking her head as she pressed her forehead to her knees.

"Alright, enough!" Pyrrha shouted, jumping out of bed and racing to seize Cinder by the arm. She tore her back from Bondi, whirling her around. " _What are you doing?_ "

Cinder shoved at Pyrrha, then stomped away. Whirled back again. "Try asking _her_ that! She's the one who thought it was an amazing idea to go jumping out the window with no Aura! She almost dragged me down just trying to catch her!"

"W-what?" Pyrrha gazed at Bondi with open mouth. She blinked rapidly. "You...?" She shook her head, turning to Emerald. "I need you to go get Ren and Nora - _now_."

Emerald glanced at Cinder, then at Pyrrha. Then, she raced out of the room, darting across the hall. She banged on team RNBW's door, shouting in at them to "get their asses up."

Blake was hugging herself on her bed, looking plain _sick_ for some reason.

Cinder was just really annoyed, and really confused. And that pissed her off even more.

Pyrrha made her sit on her bed, and told her not to talk to Bondi - and definitely not to _hit her again_. That...it was _real_ anger.

Cinder obeyed without a word.

Emerald came back with Ren and Nora in tow, who were immediately taken into the bathroom by Pyrrha, where furious voices spoke in low tones Cinder couldn't hope to make out. Then, the three emerged together. Ren and Nora spoke to Bondi, helping her up and being incredibly gentle with her. Bondi went along with them, clinging to them and just endlessly apologizing.

Cinder was still damn confused. She tried to tell Bondi that her bears were still in Cinder's bed, but Bondi hadn't even reacted. Pyrrha just told her, "Not right now."

_What the hell is even happening?!_

Team RNBW left the room, crossed the hall back to their own.

Pyrrha shut the door, and then came to sit down with Cinder.

No one spoke for nearly ten whole minutes.

It was just...

Blake was looking at a wall, Emerald was hugging herself and trembling all over, and Pyrrha wasn't even...Pyrrha was just looking at her own lap!

Cinder was annoyed, frustrated, angry, and even a little upset now. She didn't _understand!_ What the hell was with all of this...this...? Over a stupid idea to jump out a window at night? What was the big fucking deal?!

Apparently, Cinder spoke that last part out loud, because Pyrrha responded.

In very breathy tones, the words came. "The big deal...is that Bondi was t-trying to- to k-kill herself."

"She was trying to... _kill_... _herself?_ Why would she even want to do that?!" Cinder exclaimed, more confused than ever.

Pyrrha shook her head, still staring at her hands in her lap. "I- I couldn't say, Cinder. I really couldn't."

"Well, try to say it! I don't get it!" Cinder growled, frustration mounting.

A sharp breath taken in. "Well...I- I suppose that- sometimes there are...problems in people's lives, and...it's difficult to...to see much of a reason to...keep...living. It- things can seem...rather hopeless. Like...like things won't improve, like it's not going to get better for you. And you can feel like...like it's just too much, so it would be better to just- end it. To...escape all of it."

"That's stupid."

Pyrrha's head came up, and on her face was one of the fiercest looks Cinder had ever seen. For a very long moment in time, Cinder was afraid Pyrrha was going to _hit her._ Then, it vanished. Pyrrha sighed, nodded, and put her head in her hands. She didn't say a word more. Again.

"I- I mean..." Cinder attempted, swallowing hard. "Why kill _yourself_? Why not kill the problems? I- _I never_ wanted to do that to myself. Why would she?"

"Of course that was your solution to the situation..." Pyrrha's voice came, muffled, with a soft little laugh. "Cinder...one: you can't kill all your problems in life. And, two: sometimes the problem isn't with anyone else...it's with yourself. Maybe...Bondi felt that way about herself. _I don't know!_ "

Cinder sat in silence for many minutes, trying to find something else to say. But there wasn't anything, really.

"I'm breaking up with you."

"W-what?" Pyrrha stared, shocked. Hurt.

"Bondi said she liked me, and s-she said I was part of the problem - that I was with you? - so, so...if I'm not with you anymore, I can be with _her_ , and she won't feel like she has to try something so stupid and horrible again!" Cinder continued, frantic.

"N-no, no, Cinder, listen, that is so- very kind of you to think to do for her - but when it comes to things like this, you- you can't solve the issue by just getting a girlfriend! That won't truly help Bondi, and it's not...what she really _needs_ right now. And...and even if she said that to you, it- it shouldn't have been said to you. You...are not responsible for what she's going through. What she tried to _do_ , that wasn't in any way your fault. I'm sure she feels...quite bad about saying that."

"Then _what?_ What does she _need_ so she won't do t-that again?! I don't want to see her do it again!" Cinder burst out, her voice wavering. "It feels...s-so awful...all of this, all of you guys..."

"Yes...Now imagine how she feels," Pyrrha whispered. "I don't really know what she needs - just... _help_. Maybe therapy, maybe medication; that's not for us to figure out for her. All we can do...is be there for her, as her friends. To watch her, and...step in for her if we see she needs it again."

" _Is she_ going to try again?"

"Many people do..." Pyrrha spoke softly. "But most don't."

"I-"

Pyrrha squeezed her arm and stood. "We should all...try and get back to sleep."

"Okay..."

Nobody really did, though.

* * *

It was late morning when the dorm room's door opened, revealing Ren and Nora. They looked flat out exhausted.

Pyrrha showed them in, leading them to sit on her bed together.

More silence, in a group of very tired, strained teenagers.

"And I thought our team was terrible for being dysfunctional - yours just has _issues_ ," Emerald said, the first to speak.

"Where is Wisteria?" Pyrrha asked, tentative.

"At the hospital," Nora replied, sighing. "Not that it matters, but we were going to be disqualified soon anyways, with her not available today."

"Why is she at the hospital?" Cinder asked.

"She's ill," Ren said quietly, shaking his head at her. "Very ill."

"She looked healthy the last time I saw her," Cinder protested, confused.

"Oh, totally - pale white skin, a body as thin as a twig, and all your hair gone is the perfect picture of good health!" Nora said sharply, glaring. "Her falling in the arena just _came out of nowhere!_ "

"I thought she just wasn't getting enough sunlight," Emerald murmured, shifting with discomfort.

"I thought the hair thing was a fashion choice," Cinder muttered out. "Lots of girls do it..."

"Oh yeah, your team is dysfunctional, alright!" Nora exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "I can't believe this!"

"Well, we _were_ doing our best to keep it all in the team," Ren said gently, touching her arm. "I suppose this means we were successful..."

"A little too successful," Nora snorted.

"I...had thought she looked ill, but I wasn't going to interfere in your business," Pyrrha admitted slowly, looking pained.

"And we appreciate that," Ren assured. He sighed. "Wisteria has a condition, a sickness that comes and goes in her life. She's managed it, for most of it, but lately it's gotten...significantly worse. With how intense the tournament has been for us all so far, it hasn't helped her. We talked it over, and after what happened the other day, she finally decided she needed to stay in Vale and spend a few days at the hospital."

"More like we finally managed to wear her down into agreeing to it," Nora added, with a deep frown. "She's been so adamant about not letting her condition mess up the team..."

"And Bondi?" Pyrrha asked gently. "How is she?"

"It's...uncertain." Ren sighed again. "We took her to the campus medical center several hours ago, and we convinced her to talk with the teachers. Well...to allow us to, in her stead," he amended, with a look at Nora. "They want to keep her there for the next three days. She even agreed to it, herself."

"Not that it really mattered if she did or not..." Nora said, with a soft snort.

"So you're out of the tournament," Cinder stated.

"Oh, like that matters right now!" Nora snapped, her face etched with anger.

Cinder held up her hands, rearing back. "I was just- making an observation!"

"Well, keep it to yourself!"

"Well, we should go now." Ren stood quickly, pulling Nora up with him. "We'll tell you if anything changes - with either of them."

"If there is anything we can do, just ask us," Pyrrha replied.

"We will," Ren assured. "Thank you."

The pair left.

And the dorm, again...

Was filled with nothing but silence, and strain.

"So, hey," Emerald began, rounding on Blake. "would this be just _the most terrible time ever_ to discuss you being a fucking terrorist, or what?"

Blake flinched, like Emerald had punched her. She ducked her head, letting out a high noise. Was that an actual whimper out of her, Cinder thought.

"We will discuss that...after the tournament," Pyrrha said firmly. "I'm team leader, and that's my decision. Emerald, Cinder - no one brings it up again until I do. Is that clear?"

"Yes..." Cinder agreed, her voice flat.

"Terrible time, got it," Emerald nodded, throwing herself back onto her bed.


	26. Vytal: Day Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stuff is getting intense and gritty as hecks, I know, sorry!!!

"You still have a match today," Pyrrha spoke quietly. "You might have two, even..."

"Right..." Funny, Cinder somehow just...didn't really feel too much about that right now. Not much, compared with how much she was feeling about Bondi and Wisteria. About her stepsister being here, around still. She didn't even want to go and fight her stupid singles match - she just wanted to hunker down in her bed and do _nothing_.

Nothing but be with her friends.

But, on the other hand...only two matches until the end, assuming she won her singles match. Then, it would be on to the final fight, after that. And then, the victory she wanted. Everything she wanted.

Still wanted. Just, not as much as some other things right now...

But she still wanted them. So she got herself ready for the day, with her very subdued team, and made the choice to go up to Amity.

And then there was Rhodes, being a damn idiotic no-show yesterday!

Would he not show up today, too?

It had happened a few times, now that Cinder thought about it. Sometimes he hadn't been back for her at the hotel for a few days - he'd always apologized for it.

But what could he have been doing to not show up here? Now?

Why?

It was her most important hour, it was everything for her!

Cinder wanted to just text him on the airship flight up to Amity, but she held herself back from it. She wasn't sure why - just...more flickering anger at him, she supposed.

After stepping into the colosseum, Cinder's scroll beeped at her.

She ignored it. Made her way for the waiting area for the contestants.

To her surprise, Rhodes intercepted her there, rushing up to her. "Cinder!" he called, waving.

Cinder stopped, letting a breath go. The anger, relief. She smiled. "Hello. You're here today."

Rhodes sighed, too, frowning. He reached out and grabbed her arms. "I'm sorry, alright? I tried to get here as fast as I could - and then you just wouldn't talk to me..."

Cinder pulled out of his grasp with a huff. "Still considering not," she scoffed, turning away.

"Cinder...I'm sorry..."

"Everyone's _sorry_ ," Cinder snapped. "What has being _sorry_ ever done for me? What does it do for _anyone_? It's just a _word!_ "

Rhodes gazed at her, frown deepening. He nodded, taking a step back. "You're right. Alright, then. What do you want? What should I do for you today?"

Cinder sighed, glancing at him. "Just - be here when I want you to be. How hard is that?" Why did her voice have to go so high _now_ , why did her throat have to get all tight again? "Or d-do you think that because you got me here, you can just wash your hands of me forever now?"

"No. Cinder, come on. That's not true at all." Rhodes reached for her again, patted and stroked her hair. "You want me to be here? I'm going to be here. You have a few more matches today; I'm here for them."

"We'll see."

* * *

After winning her randomized singles match against an older student of Beacon named Yatsuhashi (through sheer speed, agility, and disabling arrows he couldn't hold up against with his great sword of close quarters only - "Just a bad matchup", as Port had remarked), Cinder stood proudly in the lineup of the finalists. The final among the finals!

The other matches had run their course, the winners determined in their own little one versus one's, and now...

One last match, to determine the winner of it all!

There were eight of them standing there.

Among them was Cinder herself, and Pyrrha; Pyrrha gave her a smile and a little wave, sidelong. Cinder smiled back, fluttering her fingers.

"Now it's time to begin our randomization process!" Oobleck's voice rang out excitedly.

Cinder looked to the screen, as did the others. Anticipating, waiting...

The blur of faces came to a halt for the first contestant - and Cinder almost _squealed again_ at the sight of her own face up there, her own name appearing!

"It looks like our first contender is...Cinder Aryle, of Beacon!"

It was randomized, and it had still chosen _her! First thing!_

Destiny was truly on her side!

The second blur of scrolling faces slowed...and stopped.

Cinder whipped around, staring - just as her opponent did the same back at _her_.

"Ohoho, it seems her opponent will be none other than... _Pyrrha Nikos, also of Beacon! Cinder Aryle's own teammate, team leader, and friend! What an incredibly fascinating stroke of luck!_ " Port exclaimed.

Cinder strode into the arena, facing her opponent.

Her girlfriend!

"Two teammates, two _friends_ up against one another, what a stunning twist for our final battle!" Port boomed enthusiastically.

"And - not that I'm one to get involved in speculations about our student's personal lives - also partners not just in battle, but in life!" Oobleck added.

"Oh, this is sure to be a spectacular battle indeed!" Port cried with delight. "What sparks and fireworks will fly in _this_ bout of final combat!"

The other fighters left the arena, leaving only Cinder and Pyrrha together.

They stood facing each other, amidst cheers and yelling from the audience at roaring volumes.

Cinder did her best to ignore it all, only focusing on Pyrrha.

"I suppose it doesn't matter who wins or loses," Pyrrha began, with a grin. "Whether I do, or you do, I told you before: I don't really see much need for more lien in my life. And if I do win, I might just give it all to you anyway. I would _love_ to see you learn to ride a motorcycle - and race against Yang."

"Okay, true, but...I still want to win," Cinder admitted, uncomfortable.

"It's not bad to still want to win," Pyrrha replied, nodding. "I'll be even more pleased if you do, rather than myself. I _want_ to see you win, Cinder!"

"So...do you want to just forfeit for me?" Cinder said hopefully. "We can call it right now..."

"So cute - but, not a chance." Pyrrha's grin widened. "If you want to win, you're going to have to earn it, fair and square. And, not to mention, this is as much entertainment for the audience as it is a test of our skills, Cinder; so how about we give them a good show, and just have fun with this?"

"I thought exhibitionism was illegal," Cinder smirked.

"It definitely is - no intimate contact during this fight!" Pyrrha rattled off, flushing. "I mean it, Cinder! No joking around, no sexualizing your move set, no- g-grinding or rubbing on me!"

"Okay, I understand - I won't - I got the message last time for my mistake in our first battle!" Cinder said quickly, firmly, holding up her hands. She put hand on hip, looked away and sighed. "But it would have been fun to get to do that..."

"We'll save it for a future private sparring session," Pyrrha promised, laughing. "But not here."

"I promise," Cinder said, sincerely as she could. "Just...what I'm good at: pure fighting. Nothing else."

"Good. Now that we have that sorted out, why don't we get ready for this."

"Do you think I can beat you?" Cinder blurted, nervous. Her cheeks were heated.

"You have beaten me twice now, in our sparring matches lately," Pyrrha considered honestly. "You've caught up so quickly, even to me. It's remarkable, really. I think you stand a very fair chance of winning against me again in this arena."

"I'm going to try my best to."

Pyrrha nodded. "From you, Cinder, I wouldn't expect anything else - and I love you for that."

"I love you, too...for being...you," Cinder uttered. "Also. Dammit..."

Pyrrha giggled, shaking her head. She strode away, turned back, and took her weapons in hand, falling into a combat stance.

Cinder held her blades at her sides, shifting on her feet and adopting her own stance, as usual.

They stood facing each other in empty, flat arena...

Cinder payed a glance around at the stands. She spotted Blake, and Emerald together. _They had better be cheering for me!_ She saw Rhodes, not far from her teammates, too; he _had to be_ cheering for her, for sure!

She even saw Ozpin, sitting with some of the other teachers in a special section of the stands!

Cinder returned her attention to Pyrrha, and her alone. _Don't get nervous, don't get nervous...just fight, just win - you will win! Destiny is on your side, it's going to see you win, no matter what. There's...nothing...to worry about. Because I believe in destiny. And this...this is mine. Tonight, right here._

"Three...two...one...BEGIN!" Oobleck called.

Pyrrha hurled her spear immediately, accelerating it twofold with what Cinder identified as a small manipulation of her Semblance - just a little boost.

Cinder leaned aside with a smile, confident it wouldn't touch her as it passed, keeping her gaze fixed on Pyrrha; Pyrrha hurled her shield at Cinder, perfectly horizontal in the air, and committed to a furious front flip, flying at Cinder like a missile until she slammed her boots against the back of the shield. Cinder brought up both her hands to block the powerful first blow, a strong wave of Aura blasting out from between them.

Cinder pushed out at Pyrrha, sending her flipping backwards to land on her feet. Pyrrha exerted her Semblance, calling shield and sword to her again. Cinder lit her dress up, summoning flames to hand, and lashed out with a wave of fire; Pyrrha rolled left. Cinder flashed out her palm and blasted an intense stream of flames for Pyrrha - Pyrrha dodged again, twisting around gracefully on a heel to avoid the blast.

_Give them a show, huh? Okay, then..._

Cinder flashed out her other hand, pouring even more power into her next Dust attack: a huge stream of flames roared for Pyrrha. Pyrrha looked a bit startled, then she brought her shield up in front of herself and blocked it, the flames splitting and passing her by - enveloping her body completely in a furious heat.

Pyrrha blasted Aura from her feet and lunged forward, shoving her way right through the stream of flames! She closed the distance in an instant and leaped into the air, twisting around and thrusting her spear for Cinder.

 _Oh, so that's what you're going for tonight, are_ you...?

Cinder turned in a flash and reached up to seize Pyrrha's spear in hand - by the blade, her Aura coating her hand in reinforcement. She slammed her palm into Pyrrha's gut as she hung in the air, blasting out with her Aura to send her flying back across the arena - spear-less and shield-less.

Then, Cinder went on the offensive, rushing at Pyrrha with blades held at her sides.

Pyrrha stood waiting for her near arena's edge, and when Cinder drew near enough, she suddenly planted a leg on the wall and flipped herself up into the air above Cinder. Pyrrha's arm slipped into Cinder's catching it, trapping it in a bind. Pyrrha pushed off the wall, flipping over Cinder's head and yanking her right over her own backside, using her momentum to throw her a dozen feet away from herself.

Cinder did a backwards handspring to recover. By the time she had, Pyrrha was rushing at her with spear and shield back in hand, ramming her shield into Cinder's chest and driving her back further, almost knocking her off balance completely!

They exchanged furious blows and blocks, until Cinder did a backflip, lighting her dress up and streaking flames up through the air with her feet, the concussive force enough to flip Pyrrha a dozen feet up into the air.

Pyrrha did a backflip in the air at the perfect moment, and hurled her spear down at Cinder without missing a beat, accelerated by a quick blast of Aura out the weapon's hilt. Cinder brought her arm up to block and redirect the spear, but she almost fell over from the force. Then Pyrrha was tossing her shield at her too, giving her no room to breathe at all! Pyrrha's feet touched the floor for a mere instant before she burst her Aura and leaped right at Cinder, full-body tackling her even as Cinder still was trying to recover her footing!

Pyrrha took Cinder back across the arena, both of them flying wildly together, twisting and turning, trying to gain ground or opening on the other!

Cinder finally found it, reaching for her Dust and blasting flames _upward_ , slamming them both down to the ground again, and following it up with an instant casting out of Lava Dust, splashing up around them in a powerful ring of burning magma.

Pyrrha lashed out with her Aura in the _next_ instant, outward in a pulse, disrupting and dissipating the magma, and then somehow she had gotten behind Cinder, and was holding an arm across her throat. Her spear, held in other hand, was across Cinder's chest. Cinder had just managed to grasp it in both hands before Pyrrha could slice it across her body and damage her Aura. But it was taking everything she had just to _hold it steady_ , _still_.

They stood in the center of the arena together like this, struggling with each other in silence, bodies vibrating with power and muscle, straining to break free, straining to keep things exactly how they were...

_I want to win, I want to win...sorry Pyrrha..._

Cinder activated her Semblance, burning it higher and higher, using up a significant portion of her Aura - hot enough to melt through the walls of an Atlas capital ship. Under Cinder's grasp, Pyrrha's weapon burned from within, superheated. Cinder exerted her power with her mind, twisting and bubbling the inside of the weapon in micro...until...it broke.

Snapped in two places.

Pyrrha shouldn't have been focusing so hard on reinforcing her Aura in her arm, just trying _so hard_ to keep Cinder grappled. She'd neglected her weapon, allowing Cinder to do this to it at all.

Cinder lashed out with an elbow, catching Pyrrha entirely by surprise - downright _shock_ \- and sending her flying backwards away from her.

Pyrrha glanced at her broken weapon with a split second of sadness. Cinder shoved down on her own guilt as she began sending out light blasts of flames for Pyrrha; Pyrrha rolled and dodged, then snatched up her shield and blocked final blast. Then she twirled around and threw her shield at Cinder like a frisbee, determined again.

Cinder lashed out with a hand, striking the shield and sending it off course. She threw more flames Pyrrha's way, forcing her to weave and roll some more.

Pyrrha called her shield back to herself and raced at Cinder, then hurled her shield _again_ in the same exact manner!

Cinder wondered in an instant of time, what Pyrrha's plan was here. Was it a trick, a bait? Pyrrha wasn't nearly so great at hand to hand as she was with her weapons (neither was Cinder). Maybe she just didn't have any idea what to do now? Or maybe she was going to try something on Cinder, something very definitely mischievous?

Whatever the case, Cinder wasn't going to just wait around and let her do it!

Cinder made a split second decision, crafting a glass bow and a flaming arrow in hand, took aim, and let it loose; her arrow flew for Pyrrha's shield - struck it - and then dematerialized into embers. It reformed on the other side, continuing on for Pyrrha.

Pyrrha's eyes widened a fraction, and then she dove to the right, clear out of the way of it. The arrow struck the ground, and exploded in a brilliant burst of flames and magma, destroying the arena floor and kicking up fragments of hot debris.

Cinder ran at Pyrrha, smiling to herself: she had the advantage of a full arsenal on her side, while Pyrrha only had that shield of hers. She'd have to play solely defense, and a relentless offense could break a good defense...with enough pounding.

Cinder drew back another arrow as she ran, infusing it with Ice Dust crystal shards. She launched it at Pyrrha's feet - Pyrrha recognized the type, and she did a front flip and began running to the left. Cinder chased her, firing again and again - Ice, Earth, Fire, Lava - leading her shots, trying to trip Pyrrha up. And lead her into false security. Predictability of her fiery girlfriend. Then, she twirled away from Pyrrha, and in that instant where her front was hidden from Pyrrha, she notched a brand new arrow type. Two arrows of this kind. A kind she had yet to even try to use yet: arrows infused with Wind Dust shards of turquoise.

Cinder darted for Pyrrha with a burst of Aura, blitzing her, and launching herself up into a twisting front flip over her head as soon as she was close. She aimed right down past Pyrrha's body, and fired the new arrows down simultaneously; one Wind Arrow stuck into the ground behind Pyrrha's heels, the other embedded itself in front of her feet. Cinder triggered the one behind her, sending Pyrrha falling forward with a cry of genuine surprise, then she triggered the one in front of her, knocking her back the other way with an explosion of powerful winds!

Cinder was standing behind her, waiting for her. She pulled her swords out and slashed across Pyrrha's backside twice in succession, flaring Pyrrha's Aura, then took an arrow in her bare hand and rammed it against Pyrrha's back before leaping away; the Lava Dust Arrow exploded, point blank. Pyrrha's Aura burned high and bright, sputtering as Pyrrha went flying forward to slam into the forcefield separating arena from audience. She hit hard, face-first.

Cinder loaded another arrow, infusing it with a small portion of Lava Dust. She didn't have much left now, just a tiny portion. And it was nearly the last bit of _Dust in general_ that she had left in her dress. She prepared another explosion to finish it off.

And then the buzzer sounded.

Cinder froze.

Pyrrha slid down the wall, twisting around to look at her, holding hand to her head. She was smiling, and then she was laughing.

Port's voice echoed in the arena once more with the words Cinder wasn't quite sure she could even believe...

"And with that explosive end, that concludes our final championship match! Pyrrha Nikos is eliminated by Cinder Aryle!"

Cinder blinked, realizing she still had her arrow notched. Still had her arrow pointed at Pyrrha. She hastily disintegrated it all, letting falling shards of glass hit the floor, and embers burn in the air. And then she ran to Pyrrha's side, grabbing her shoulders and yanking her up. "I'm sorry - y-your weapon, Milo - I never- I wasn't _thinking about_ \- I know how much you-!"

"It's alright!" Pyrrha exclaimed, grabbing her right back and beaming at her. She pulled her in, and then kissed her firmly on the mouth. "You wanted to win, and _you did!_ _You won, Cinder - and it was wonderful!_ "

The shields fell, and suddenly Emerald and Blake were right there, hopping into the arena. Pyrrha was pulled out into the stands with them.

Cinder made to go after them, but Pyrrha held up a hand and shook her head.

"No, you get to stay there for a while - there has to be formal announcement, a procession, a ceremony, and your victory prize!" Pyrrha said swiftly, grinning at her.

Cinder stopped, suddenly looking around the arena and finding herself very, very anxious. She walked back for the center as Port spoke on, and Oobleck too, congratulating her, doing a highlight of some of her feats on the big screen...

She tried not to squirm. Cinder still couldn't really believe it: she had done it! She'd won! Everything was hers, everything she'd dreamed of, worked for! She could _never_ be called a failure again, or worthless, or unloved, or-

The arena's center suddenly began rising up behind her.

Port and Oobleck cut themselves off.

"Peter, did you by any chance hit the wrong button again?"

"Oho, Barty, you insult me! If anyone would have struck the wrong button, it would have been yourself!"

Suddenly a new voice echoed through the arena, sharp and silky. "Eheheh, I'm afraid it's all _my_ fault, actually!"

A figure came darting up out from beneath the gap in the arena's center - from under the central platform itself. Then, just as swiftly, the platform retracted into the floor, creating solid ground again. It was a pale man with long dark brown hair in a braid, and glinting gold eyes. A scorpion tail flicked out behind him lazily. A faunus?

Cinder stared, then glanced over at her friends.

Pyrrha was pressing her hands to the forcefield - wait, why was that even active again?! When had it gone up?!

"Well, well, so this is the one you've all chosen to be your champion, is it!" The man began to shout to the arena, his arms spread as he spun about in place. "Your hero, your guardian? But let's not be too hasty with our choices, hmm? How about one, final, glorious match! A bonus round! Your little champion here, against _me_. If she wins, well, then you're all in good hands against the _scary things in the world_ , I suppose. But, if I win..." The man cackled, tossing his head back. "Well, if I win, then you're all in _trouble_. Oh, and, this little match of ours is anything goes - _and to the death!_ "

He whipped out twin bladed wrist weapons, and lunged at Cinder, a fierce grin on his face.

* * *

"Shut the forcefield off!" Ozpin yelled into his scroll, on his feet immediately.

"We can't - the system won't respond!" Oobleck exclaimed, distressed. "Someone must have gotten into the system and taken control!"

* * *

Cinder was kicked several dozen feet, rolling until she slammed against the shields. Her eyes found her team. "Help me!" The plea emerged, unbidden.

Pyrrha reached out her hands, while Emerald put hand to her head and set her gaze on the intruder.

The man's bladed gauntlets suddenly were torn off his arms violently, causing him to screech with anguish and his Aura to flare. The weapons went flying across the arena, and promptly crushed themselves into small balls of metal.

The man flew at Cinder again, regardless, his fierce grin twisting even further.

* * *

"We need to do something!" Yang shouted, jumping to her feet. She slammed her gauntlet fists to the barrier, to no avail, massive explosions bursting with every strike. Cinder was a _friend_ , and a damn great dancer, and if she lost her...she wasn't losing her to some madman interrupting the tournament! She wasn't going to just _watch her die in front of her!_ She'd had enough of _losing people in life!_ Both her moms, her dad to grief for a long time...

Nora joined in on pummeling the shield, slamming her hammer into it repeatedly, pink energy bursts flaring on each hit.

But nothing worked!

These shields were, after all, _designed_ to withstand anything short of an airship crashing into them, to protect the audience from wayward bullets and Dust attacks, and even most manner of Semblances.

* * *

If Cinder's opponent was in any way slowed by losing his wrist gauntlet blades, he didn't show it; he was just as insanely fast, just as vicious with his bare hands and feet, and that tail!

Cinder leaped backwards, far away, and crafted the smallest amount of Dust she had left into a new bow, and an arrow. Pulled her final Dust arrow back and let it loose - but she hardly even had time for it before the man was rushing at her again! He turned aside as he ran, dodging her arrow completely. It struck the ground and exploded with a high screech... _wasted_.

The man punched at her, kicked her from what seemed several directions at once, and jabbed the stinger of his tail at her furiously!

She twisted away, dodging frantically, and that tail's end coiled around her wrist and yanked her forward, off balance; a knee slammed into her gut, flaring her already low Aura, and then he whirled with her and threw her away with his tail alone!

Cinder hit the ground hard on her side, immediately jumping up again. She tossed her bow away and took up her twin blades, readying herself.

The man came at her once more, and it was all she could even do to redirect and block him - she certainly didn't have time to even try retaliating! She might as well throw away her blades too, and fight bare handed like _him!_

He punched her in the face, jabbed his tail against her shoulder, and then...he paused. He looked off to the side, that grin of his turning from predatory to amused. "What a fun little trick! But I'm afraid it will do you no good." He cocked his head, and then whirled, lashing out with a furious kick. An Aura blast erupted from his boot, wide and powerful, and it slammed into Cinder and took her back into the forcefield. He set his eyes on her, and was suddenly darting forward and towering over her.

He paused a split second, blinking down at her, his eyes unfocused. Then, he reached down in a flash with both hands and seized Cinder by the throat, lifting her high. "You think you can mess with _my mind?_ Invisible or not, I still know exactly where you are! These are cheap parlor tricks, useful only against the most unobservant amateurs! Do you think I have zero training in Aura senses whatsoever?! Please, don't insult me, child!"

_Thanks for trying, Emerald..._

Cinder drove her knee into his stomach, blasting out what little Aura she had left; he let her go, flipping backwards and skidding several dozen feet backwards, laughing all the way.

Cinder fell into a defensive pose, and then she darted left around the arena's edge.

He watched her with lazy eyes, and he blitzed her again with that terrifying speed! He stabbed his tail for her at nearly the same time that he punched her across the face, putting her into the path of said tail.

Cinder twisted around, raising her blade-

And then her blade moved of its own accord, moving faster than she could have swung it, to be in the exact right position to block the stinger. Her other arm was dragged up by her second blade, and it slashed in a split second across his chest. His Aura sparked for first time; he leaped away with a shocked look. Then he laughed.

"My, your little friends are just so determined to help you, aren't they?" he tsk'ed. He leaned forward, smiling at her. "But I think we both know you're well beyond help - isn't that right?!" he hissed out. He leaped at her again, assaulting her with all he had. "The broken little girl trying so desperately to pretend she's whole and unblemished! But we both know better than _that_!"

_Pyrrha!_

Cinder blocked and dodged, getting hit with stray punches and kicks, battered left and right like some amateur little girl!

She fell, weapons broken, ribs flaring with agony.

"So why waste your time here?" He whispered to her, leaning over her as if to impart a secret. "You could allow yourself to be free as a bird, as gloriously _damaged_ as you please! No need to worry at all about...all those little people, and all those little things like whether or not they're terrified of what they see lurking inside you. Such is the grace and gift...of the goddess! To allow us all to be true to ourselves! So what do you say, girlie?"

"I...am right where _I want to be_ \- what part of that is _so hard_ for you people to understand?" Cinder said scornfully, laughing up at the man.

His face twisted with disgust. His arm glowed purple with Aura, but only the arm, and he slashed his hand for her, fingers splayed like claws. They slashed across her face, and then back the other way.

Cinder braced herself for the strike, for her Aura to take the hit - but it _didn't_.

She _screamed_ as pain beyond pain exploded in her head, a hand raising to press over her left eye, shrieking on and on, thrashing under the boot on her throat! Hot blood poured down the left side of her face, pooling under her head.

He grabbed her up by her neck and hurled her across the arena, leaving a trail of blood behind her. His boots glowed like his hands had, and he ran at her and kicked her in the stomach; his Aura burst through her body. Cinder felt miniature explosions rippling through her insides, along with several explosions of _pain_. Her Aura flared amber, and shattered as she rolled again, further.

Cinder stopped, turning over onto her side on the ground, hand going to her stomach. She puked, and it was nothing but blood. _How...did he...? Even before my Aura was broken...?_

The man's boot came down on the side of her head, pinning her to the floor. He raised his arms and beamed around himself, at the audience. "Look at this _worthless little thing_! You all really expected _this_ to be your shield against the Grimm? Against people like _me_?" He laughed, grinding his boot into Cinder's skull. "There is _nothing and no one in this world that can save you, protect your pathetic little lives! Nothing will stop me from finding each and every one of you in your beds at night, dismembering you alive, making you watch as I squash your children's skulls under my heel - just...like...this! Not any huntsman or huntress, not any guardian or hero, not any one of your so-called champions! Because this is how easy it is for me to bring them all down! Rip away your protectors!_ "

"Y-you only won...after you waited for me to exhaust myself in a fight, and used up all my Dust supplies..." Cinder choked out, laughing again with sheer derision. "People like y-you...are pathetic, weak cowards pretending to be s-strong...It's a shame all these people here have to put up with your delusional prattling... That's the _real_ damage you're inflicting on them here - and on _me_..."

His face seized. Then, it relaxed. "I did, didn't I? Well, what can you do? Life isn't fair, girl. In fact...it's quite _cruel!_ " He raised his boot from her head, kicked her onto her back, and then stomped his boot down on her stomach again - no, a bit lower than last time. He stomped _twice_ , his powerful Aura exploding in her body again, popping and bursting.

Cinder convulsed, her arms raising to feebly grasp for his leg.

* * *

Ozpin set his jaw and gripped his cane, summoning a power he knew was necessary tonight - to be used so sparingly in life, but this situation called for a sparing use. Or he would lose another student, lose another promising young woman - one he had promised he would do all he could to help, swore to himself he wouldn't! His cane glowed golden, the gears turning, and he spun it around and slammed it against the barrier; green light and electricity bolts exploded from the point of contact, and the forcefield was disrupted, a large gap spreading wide open in it in a way that shouldn't have been possible. He leaped into the arena, that gap closing behind him. And he blitzed across the arena in an instant, leaving green after-images behind him, heading right for notorious serial killer Tyrian Callows (apparently, now under the employ of Salem, from the man's own words).

Suddenly, a hailstorm of powerful bullets came raining down from above, and an airship was descending at an angle into the arena from its open ceiling.

Ozpin stopped short, darting back, left, then right, those after-images of his again visible.

Tyrian let his boot up off Cinder, and he turned and took a massive leap straight up, grabbing the airship's struts. "Your time runs short to decide, dear girl!" He called down to her from above. "A bit more time to think it all over, that's all you have left! If you do want to make the right and obvious choice, just come and find me in Vale sometime over the course of the next....mmmm...the next hour or so! But, it might be difficult to track me down in all the chaos and _carnage_ the Grimm will bring!" The airship ascended swiftly, with Tyrian shrieking his mirth in echo around the arena.

A second after the airship cleared the top of the colosseum, the shields flickered back into place, preventing pursuit of any kind.

Ozpin ran to Cinder, dropping down beside her. "It's going to be alright!" he told her.

But even just from the looks of the surface level damages...he didn't have much hope for that.

* * *

After seeing Cinder off to the campus medical center, with her teammates in tow, Ozpin immediately gathered his inner circle in his office.

"There is going to be an imminent attack on Vale - Salem is making her move at last."

"Then let her: We have ships in the sky, troops deployed all over the city already - paladins on standby, legions of mechs," Ironwood said firmly. "The Grimm shouldn't be capable of getting in past the city's perimeter. Not with my forces positioned how they are, precisely to fight against this very thing." He paused. "Still...We need to arrange for evacuations - protection of vital locations. And you need to-"

"Yes," Ozpin nodded. "I know, James. Most are not ready, but this world isn't waiting for them." He activated the console at his desk, tapping into the campus-wide intercom system. "Attention all huntsmen, and huntsmen in training: Within the hour, it is suspected that there is to be a Grimm attack on our city, orchestrated by a dangerous criminal named Tyrian Callows. If sighted, he is to be apprehended on sight - but lethal force is authorized. I am asking all professors and fourth year students to coordinate the younger, and I'm asking for every last huntsmen to be prepared for deployment into Vale. I regret that the job you've been training for has come so startlingly soon, but our citizens _need_ your protection, your help. I have the fullest confidence in you all. All huntsmen, all students, will meet in the campus atrium for assignment to various sectors, and areas of vital importance: city power generators, infrastructure, hospitals, and the residential districts. You will coordinate with the Atlas military throughout the city. This day may have come too soon...but it has come, and all we can do is try to rise to the challenge. Remember your training, stay with your teams, keep to your duty, and...good luck."

_And I pray that I will see more of you alive after this night has passed than I will see dead on the ground._

* * *

Cinder woke up in a fog, a daze in a hospital bed.

She blinked around herself, confused.

Her teammates were all there. Her friends.

Pyrrha, right beside her, already holding her hand.

Blake, Emerald, together, staring at her with careful, wide eyes. Trying to hold themselves together, Cinder guessed.

A doctor noticed Cinder, and came right over to her. The woman exchanged some little words with Pyrrha that Cinder's foggy mind didn't quite grasp...

Then the woman had set her focus on Cinder.

She asked her some stupid questions, like how did Cinder feel, what was she thinking...and then she asked her if she was ready to hear about what had happened to her. The injuries, and the aftermath.

Then the memories came back to Cinder.

The arena, winning, the unexpected, ferocious man who had trapped her in there...and beaten the everlasting shit out of her, to a point where Cinder had literally thought she would _die_.

"If you hadn't had Aura, you stood a high chance of that," the doctor said gently.

Had Cinder spoken aloud? That was annoying...

The woman asked her again if she was ready to hear about her own situation.

Cinder just nodded, irritated now. "Get on with it!"

"Cinder would prefer you to be very blunt with her," Pyrrha said quietly.

"Right - just tell me what's going on, don't beat around the stupid bush," Cinder agreed.

The doctor gave a nod in return. Then, she began to speak, very low, very clear. Very careful. "Well...Due to the severe internal damages done, the amount of deep bleeding inside your body, even with your Aura's healing at work, it was necessary for us to perform a major surgery on your body. Your internal organs, particularly centered around the stomach and pelvic regions, sustained such trauma that...it was necessary for us to remove your uterus, your cervix, as well as both of your ovaries and your fallopian tubes."

Pyrrha made a little noise beside Cinder, and clutched her hand tight.

Cinder just blinked at the doctor. She glanced at the clock nearby: the digital numbers told her it was just about a quarter past 10:00 PM. So, it had been about an hour since her...arena incident? She refocused on the doctor, willing her foggy mind to stop with distractions. "What does that even mean?" she asked. She _had_ read books - biology, sexual education - but she was finding it hard to really remember them. She knew they _did_ have something to do with sex. Wasn't it also something about having babies...?

"It means...that it will not be possible for you to become pregnant - to bear children - for the rest of your life."

"Okay...It's not like I wanted kids anyway - I always use protection during sex..."

"That's quite responsible of you, Miss Aryle." The doctor patted her arm, a soft smile on her face.

"But...I can still have kids if I want to, though, right? I mean, there are other ways..." Cinder went on. "I've read about them! I think...?"

"There are numerous options available in the kingdom, yes: from adoption, to AI, to IVF-" The doctor turned her gaze on Pyrrha. "-even IVG, if you would ever wish to."

"What does all of _that mean_?" Cinder said, exasperated.

"How much information did you actually retain?" Blake spoke quietly, ducking her head.

Cinder glared with her sole eye. Wait, she had a sole eye? Her hand came up, feeling her own face. The left side. Bandages wrapped around...The doctor gave Pyrrha a look; Pyrrha reached for Cinder's hand and pulled it away gently. "It wouldn't be very smart to mess with that," she said softly. "Please?"

Cinder frowned. She pulled her hand away and set it in her lap. "Okay...whatever..."

Pyrrha squeezed her hand again. She looked to the doctor. "Ah - we aren't anywhere near that far along in our relationship! But it is nice to know one's options."

"What the _fuck_ is IVG?" Cinder gritted.

"It's a procedure that involves the extraction of cells from two people, and then using science to turn them into egg and sperm cells," the doctor explained at last. "This way, same sex partners can produce genetic children together, just the same as opposite sex ones. While you may not be able to bear children yourself any longer, it would still be very easy to, for example, extract skin or blood cells from your body and transform them into sperm, which could then be implanted into your partner for her to fertilize for the both of you."

Cinder looked at Pyrrha, who was studiously avoiding her gaze with very flushed cheeks. "Would you ever...do that with me?"

Pyrrha gave a nervous smile, meeting her eyes at last with fluttering eyes. "We- we aren't at that stage yet, Cinder. But...if we do reach it, of course we'll...have some very lengthy discussions about doing such a thing together. All right?"

"Okay." Cinder nodded. "Great."

Emerald frowned intensely, crossing her arms. "Damnit, so there's one thing I can't do for you in the world...But if I could, I would! No problem!"

"Thanks for the thought, Emerald..." Cinder said sincerely, giving the girl a smile. "It's nice..."

"Ah-" Pyrrha started, then stopped. She sighed. "Doctor, could you explain to Cinder just what kinds of side effects she might want to expect going forward?"

"I could have asked," Cinder muttered.

"But would you have?"

"No..." Cinder admitted.

Pyrrha patted her hand.

"Well, Aura regeneration or not," the doctor began, with a look at Cinder. "over the next several weeks you might expect such things as pain where we made the incision - right there - swelling, redness, burning or itching around the area, or even a numb sensation. Now, because what we had to do was what we call a 'total' hysterectomy, you will no longer have any periods, but you will likely begin having symptoms of-"

"Wait, you just said I won't have to deal with periods anymore?" Cinder interrupted gleefully. "No more blood, no more cramps, or headaches - how is this a bad thing?"

The doctor gave a laugh, smiling at her. "Well, as I was about to say, there will be some immediate consequences to this. Because we removed your ovaries, which are responsible for estrogen production, you'll begin having the symptoms of menopause immediately. Which can include bouts of depression, mood changes in general, hot flashes, vaginal irritation or itching - dryness - insomnia or fatigue-"

"Insomnia?"

"It means you have trouble sleeping," Pyrrha said quickly.

"Correct," the doctor nodded. "You might also experience changes in sexual functions: decreased sexual responsiveness, difficulty with reaching orgasm, diminished sensation of the vagina, decreased libido-"

" _No!"_ She actually knew a few of those! "I _love that about myself! I love being able to do that! You can't just take it away - give it back dammit!"_

"Cinder, it's going to be fine, it's all going to be alright - just please, breathe." Pyrrha held her hand and kissed her cheek, stroking her hair.

Cinder glared murder at the doctor with her sole eye. "You think you can take that from me? I'm still going to have _just as much sex as before! And it's all going to feel just as wonderful as ever!_ "

"There was severe internal damage," the doctor said softly. "Not only to what we had to remove, but to your vagina, and your entire pelvic region. I know it's very distressing, and difficult to-"

" _It's not distressing!_ " Cinder yelled. " _I can still have kids, I can still have sex - you think you took anything for me?!"_

"Cinder, _please_ , please-"

"Shut up!" Cinder snapped, tearing her hand out of Pyrrha's, fighting to sit up. Her stomach seared with agony. "Shut up, you- still-have-a-fucking-working-vagina, perfect, pretty... _shut up!_ "

"Miss Aryle, you _need to lay down._ Right now."

Pyrrha pushed on Cinder's shoulder, pushing her to the bed. "Please, Cinder-"

" _You ruined my vagina! I liked that!_ " Cinder shouted at the doctor, glaring with her _eye_.

"Miss Aryle, your vagina is still very functional, if your worries are focused on the area of sexual stimulation and pleasure - even if there might be a slight decrease in-"

"I'm done listening to you! The second I get out of here I'm going to-"

Pyrrha suddenly threw herself at Cinder, wrapping her arms around her. " _Please, please, it's alright, it's going to be alright, I promise..._ "

Cinder shut her eye and shoved her face into Pyrrha's shoulder. She couldn't find it in herself to say more anyway; her throat hurt like hell, and her brain was getting all foggy again...she couldn't even really keep track of her own thoughts! What the hell was this?

After a minute of silence, the doctor spoke again. Very quiet, very gentle. "Those symptoms I listed off for you, you _may_ experience any or all of these, and they last, on average, four to anywhere up to seven years - but it can even go on up to ten years. The symptoms can be very strong, since your body's hormone levels will drop significantly. But you could begin ET - Estrogen Therapy - to counteract this."

"Thank you. Is there anything else she needs to know?" Pyrrha questioned quietly, drawing away from Cinder at last.

"Well, I wouldn't advise sleeping on her stomach for several weeks. I would recommend sleeping with a pillow between her legs, to keep her hips aligned, and reduce pressure on her lower back."

"Thank you. When can she leave here?"

"With non-huntress patients," the doctor spoke. "you would be kept for a day or two, usually. But, with how much work her Aura has already done for her body...I could drop it down to just one day, possibly twelve hours - we would need to see where Miss Aryle is after. How she's doing with it all."

"Thank you," Pyrrha reiterated, relief on her face. "Can we stay with her?"

"I think it's best if one of you does, yes," the doctor said softly.

"I'll stay with her," Emerald spoke up. "You're the best fighter on the team - you're needed out in Vale more than any of us are."

Pyrrha held her gaze for a long, silent moment. She nodded, standing. "All right. Blake...?"

Blake stood, too. "It's time to do our jobs. I'll be right there with you."

"I'm glad."

"W-wait, what's happening out in Vale?" Cinder questioned, willing her foggy mind to clear up. "Why are we going to Vale...?"

" _We_ are going to Vale...in anticipation of a potential large scale grimm attack," Pyrrha said quietly. "Do you not remember?"

Cinder shook her head. What was she supposed to remember? She remembered Pyrrha's fight, and that fight with the scorpion faunus man...but it was all a big blur.

"It is...believed that that man - identified as Tyrian Callows - was very serious in his threats against the kingdom of an imminent grimm attack," Pyrrha went on, elaborating. "At least, the professors all seem to believe it. They're taking it very seriously. We're all being deployed to Vale, assigned sectors - most of the students already have been. We're also meant to be acting in tandem with the Atlas military. According to Callows' word, the Grimm should be arriving...very soon."

"There's going to be a Grimm invasion, and I'm not even going to be able to be out there?!" Cinder cried. "I need to be- I'm a huntress too, it's my _destiny_ , I'm meant to protect people, save them, l-like Azul, remember?"

"You are a huntress - I remember!" Pyrrha said swiftly. "But you aren't meant to be even getting out of this bed for a day! There is absolutely no way you could possibly go out and fight in this condition. You might end up...causing very serious, further internal damages to your body."

"Fuck you I can't get up - watch me!" Cinder snarled, making to do just that again.

Pyrrha's hand flashed out, and she shoved her down firmly. And she held her there. "No! You can't. I mean it - _please_. Just stay here, recover, stay safe, and I promise you, we will be back to see you again soon! I _promise_."

"You can't do this without me!" Cinder exclaimed, but she stopped struggling on account of a fresh pain surging in her.

Pyrrha offered a small smile, shaking her head. "I never realized you had such little faith in me, Cinder."

"I- no, I just m-mean..." Cinder lapsed into silence. Silent tears welled in her eyes, falling down her face. "Please don't leave me..."

_"I'm sorry."_

Pyrrha and Blake left together, leaving two behind.

Emerald sighed, taking up stroking Cinder's hair and holding her hand. "Guess team RNBW isn't the only one that's split in half now, huh?"

Cinder turned her head aside, saying nothing. But she gave Emerald's hand a firm squeeze, all the same.

_You'd better not break your promises..._


	27. Destiny

Wisteria opened her eyes in the darkness.

It was sheer chaos that woke her.

Gunfire, explosions, howling and snarling, screaming and crying...

Loud banging metal sounds echoed throughout the building.

A heavy metal shield slid down with a clunk over the window in Wisteria's room.

Wisteria heard more nearby gunfire, in the hall. Screams and growls...closer...

She drew a wracking breath and activated her Aura - just in time.

The door to her room blew open, and a dark shape came rushing in.

A Beowolf. It sniffed the air, set its eyes right on her.

Wisteria raised a shaking hand, triggering her Semblance: the Beowolf was trapped in the white sphere that materialized around it. But not for long. And while Wisteria's Semblance prevented anyone trapped inside from attacking her, likewise, she couldn't do anything to hurt them while she had them trapped in her Void Sphere. It was only useful for running away, or buying time.

Luckily, that was exactly what she needed.

Wisteria flung herself out of bed, onto shaking legs and pain that shot up through them. She stumbled forward, around the sphere, and threw herself out the door. She slammed it shut behind herself, let her Semblance go, and began a long journey down the hallway, bracing herself on the wall.

She passed Atlesian soldiers - their corpses. One body, torn apart, was wearing doctor's scrubs. And a few others...hospital patient gowns.

She stooped to pick up one of their rifles, and rounded a corner.

Immediately she was confronted with the sight of three beowolves.

Wisteria aimed the gun and opened fire.

They ran at her, tanking the hits.

One lunged for her as it neared; Wisteria threw herself back around the corner to avoid it, watched it slam into the wall on momentum. She fired into its backside and stepped back as the other two came into view.

The one on the right came for her, jaws wide, claws extended.

Wisteria ducked low, gasping as her stomach burned, and lashed out with a leg and a burst of Aura; the beowolf was sent flying, crashing straight through the wall into a storage room.

The other Grimm rushed her on all fours and leaped for her.

She fired into its face and twisted aside, bashing it across the head with the rifle's butt, and then unloading into the back of its head after a snap second of bringing the gun to shoulder.

The Grimm fell, black smoke wafting, and dissolved.

Two left.

Two more furious Grimm.

Wisteria fired at the closest one, holding the trigger down and aiming for its face. It stumbled and staggered, still trying to get close to attack her. She rushed to meet it, ramming the barrel into its mouth and firing up through its skull. It dissolved into nothing.

The last bewolf swung its claws for her, slashing her across the ribs and sending her flying.

Wisteria rolled, gasping as pain exploded in her body in various locations. Throbbing, aching. Agony.

She threw herself onto her back and aimed the rifle, firing at the grimm that was on her in an instant.

It slashed her across the chest twice. She drove her knee into its stomach and put a great deal of Aura into it, the power rippling through its body before bursting outward, blowing it in half.

Wisteria gasped and shuddered on the floor, hand going to her chest.

"Are you alright?!" A nurse was racing down the hall, coming right to Wisteria's side. The man helped her up, supporting her. Wisteria vaguely recognized him as having tended to her on his rounds earlier. "We need to get you to the lockdown area."

"No," Wisteria gasped, stumbling away. She clutched the rifle in hand, hefting it over a shoulder. "I need to be out here - I'm a huntress."

"Huntress or not, you're severely exacerbating your condition!"

"Nothing is more _exacerbating_ than death," Wisteria replied, shaking her head. "If I live, I will get whatever treatment you want - pinky swear it. But people need protecting."

"There are already several huntsmen in the hospital - and there are soldiers and mechs around the entrances and on the roof."

"Well there's no one in this area, so I have to do what I can here," Wisteria answered calmly. She paused, letting her head hang before raising it again with all her might. "How did the Grimm even get this far into the city, so quickly? How are they in the hospital at all? It should have been locked down hours before they got close to the building."

"They didn't come from the forests - the surrounding areas. They came from above. It's something we've never seen before," the nurse said quietly. "I would show you, but the windows are shielded now..."

"Show me what?"

"This big...whale Grimm, it puked this black liquid all over the city, and the Grimm spawned out of that in an instant. Everywhere. We barely had time to realize what was happening before..." The man gave a self evident gesture down the hallway of blood, gore, and corpses. Dust and rubble. "We only just got the lockdown protocol into place. But they're already in. All we can do now is section off the wards, move as many people as we can to safety behind fortification - while avoiding getting torn apart ourselves..."

"I can escort people wherever they need to go," Wisteria said strongly. "Just...guide me."

"You're going to kill yourself - you need to be behind a big metal door like the rest of my patients!"

"I'm a superhuman. Which means that, A, you can't physically stop me, and B, I'm not that easy to kill." She paused. "And a bit of C: huntresses have to be prepared to sacrifice themselves for the good of the people. The innocent. I'm willing to do that. It's alright. Please, help me do my job."

The nurse stared at her for a long moment. Then, he nodded. "All right. Here's where we need to go next..."

* * *

A dark figure came gliding in through the window on a flurry of wind, setting down in the Beacon medical center.

They were hunched over, but then they stood tall.

It was Kari Silvers.

"Cinder..." Kari whispered, looking her over. She strode for Cinder's bedside - and suddenly froze.

Emerald was on her feet, glaring at her intently. She brought her weapons out and lunged, slashing at the woman.

Kari took the hit across the chest, her Aura flaring. She lashed out with an arm, and a powerful gust of wind; it picked up Emerald and sent her across the room to strike the wall. She held her palm out, and it flashed blue: Emerald was suddenly covered in thick ice from the neck down, a cocoon.

Kari returned her gaze to Cinder. Her eyes shimmered, and she let a sigh go. She brushed long strands of dark red out of her face.

"What are you doing here? You want to attack Beacon again?!" Cinder hissed, balling a fist and making to sit up in her bed. But she fell back, gasping with utterly debilitating pain.

Kari shook her head. "No."

"Really? Because last I checked, you-"

"I never meant to harm anyone. Only to get what I needed that night - and I did."

"God, what the hell even is your deal?" Cinder snarled. "Why do you keep attacking me?! I'm getting sick of it!" she raged. "And now you have to come here while I'm fucking _helpless_!"

"I'm _not_ here to fight," Kari insisted, with some real _emotion_ in there for once. Stray locks of scarlet hung over her face as she dipped her head. "My 'deal'...is exactly the same as yours, just a few years ahead. Soon enough, you'll end up being where I am, how I am, Cinder - and there's nothing that can be done about it. Not by you, not by me, not by anyone."

"You think so?" Cinder scoffed. "I live my life how I want to live it - I don't _serve_ anyone! I'm not like you, and I'm _never_ going to be like you; so why don't you go back to whoever it is that sent you, get on your knees in front of them, and _beg them_ to stop making you waste my time! Unless you can't even manage _that_ without permission..."

" _You_ think so?" came the curious reply.

"I do," Cinder said firmly. "I _was_ a servant, but not anymore - and never _again_! I'm _free._ "

"No: you've just traded one master for another. One system for another. Only, this one will end up killing you - or leaving you to die. Either way..."

"Wow; it's almost sad how little self-awareness there is in that statement," Cinder said idly, flashing a smirk. "Almost."

Kari's eyes closed briefly. "For girls like us...freedom can seem far out of sight. Like there's always going to be someone standing higher than us, directing our actions. Deciding how our lives should go. And most of the time, it's even the truth."

"And how would you know?! You don't know me; I've suffered through more in seventeen years than others do in a lifetime!"

A smile stole across Kari's lips. A sadness softened her gaze. "But I do know you. Our stories began in the same location - a little old orphanage in Mistral, once a farmhouse..."

"Nice try," Cinder snorted. "Use what I've told people to draw some kind of connection between us. It's not going to stop me from killing you!"

Kari's head dipped lower, her long scarlet strands falling to hide her face even further. A low chuckle was heard. Then, her head came up again, and so did her free hand, slow and measured. Her fingers grasped at her own hair, bunching it together at the back and pulling a thick band of it forward over a shoulder. Her expression morphed, eyes suddenly wide, her mouth forming a happy grin. "I know you've never been one to pay attention to those around you, but...I think you'll remember this."

"Remember...what?" Cinder said, blinking in total confusion. Was this some act of insanity?

"A teenage girl, her hair just like this, her face just like this...she's coming out of her room on the second floor, and she's so excited for herself. So happy. She races for the stairs, she almost trips right over the small girl scrubbing the floor while she cries. You never hear from her again - she was lucky, to be adopted at her age at all. It makes you furious, doesn't it? That you're so young and yet no one's come for you...? Or..." Kari laughed again. "How about this: the same girl was seated for dinner, and a boy throws his food at her. She's covered in it, and she retaliates. And when she does, she accidentally hits the dark haired girl with a face full of potatoes. The dark haired girl fights back, setting the whole table off. When it all calms down...that dark haired girl is punished harder than the rest. She's yelled at, in full view of the others. A troublemaker all her life, they say about her. They say she should be grateful she's even here, that anyone wants to look after her. And she cries, and she's sent up to her room without a single bite more. Opal, Emma Bluebell...Kari Silvers...those girls are good girls - well behaved and wonderful. But Cinder...? Cinder is an unruly hell spawn."

Cinder gasped, tears springing to her eyes. She could see it in her mind, as this woman spoke - hear it, smell it, and that anger and humiliation burned anew as memory surfaced. She blinked with blurry vision, and she saw it: this face, this hair, those eyes, smaller and thinner, but full of so much more... _life_ than it ever had in more recent times. The name spoken by the other kids, by the caretakers of the orphanage, the talk of her that day she never came back... " _Kari._ "

Kari's hand let her hair free, falling to her side. Her eyes went slack, the glimmer dulled, and her exaggerated grin evaporated to thin lips with only the tiniest trace of a smile. "Good. You remember me now. Now...can you really tell me I don't know what I'm talking about with you?"

Cinder lay back in her bed, staring at the ceiling. "You think I'll end up like you?" she spoke, quavering.

Kari nodded. "If you're going to keep working under Ozpin," she said softly, almost... _gently_. "Your team, the people you love - Pyrrha Nikos, Emerald Sustrai, Blake Belladonna - they're all going to die because of him. He'll betray you, send them all to their deaths, and abandon you to monsters."

"What does Ozpin have to do with any of this?"

"Everything: he's a reincarnating wizard."

"What?"

"His real name is Ozma."

" _What?_ "

"He's been alive for thousands of years, changing bodies and lives throughout it all - shaping society. Sending young huntresses like you and me to our deaths, and everyone we love, because he's too much of a coward to get up and do it himself." A flash of anger in Kari's face, a sharpness to her voice like her blade. She raised a hand, pointing out the window and jabbing a finger. "Even right this very moment, he's still sitting up _there_ \- in his tower."

"Do...what?" Cinder questioned. "Fight Grimm?"

"Fight against Salem." Kari paused. "Though, they are one and the same..."

"Who?"

Kari looked away. "The other immortal. The one who killed everyone I loved, and sent me after you - here, Cinder. She _controls_ the Grimm. The Grimm that will be here...very soon."

"How could you...serve someone like that? If they- if _she_ \- what kind of sense do you think that makes?"

"None whatsoever," Kari said quietly, shaking her head. A faint smile played across her lips. "But when you break, and you mourn, and you're full of rage...many things that seem obvious in hindsight aren't seen as viable options. Especially if the only option you have in front of you, at first...is the one that leads you to serving someone...very much like someone you've served before. You tell yourself you're not truly serving her, you tell yourself you're still free, that all you want is to use the position and the power to get revenge on the _other_ person you hate - the one you hate _personally_ , far more than you could ever hate the monster you only met briefly - but in the end...you're still in her box. You're still under her orders. People are very efficient at lying to themselves, working themselves into a position that has no real basis in logic...or perhaps just enough to make it agreeable..." Kari laughed to herself. "I'm not immune to the failures of the human mind, am I?"

"So, you think that's going to be me?" Cinder reiterated, offered a soft smile, and laughed lightly. She shook her head. "Maybe it's you who's going to end up like _me_. Or did you never consider that?"

"There's no going back to what I once was." A fleeting sadness returned, before moving on. A breath taken in, and let go.

"I've been thinking the same thing, laying here now," Cinder admitted. She cast a glance at Emerald, frozen to the wall. "But all of my friends seem to think different," Cinder replied. "They keep saying it's alright, it's okay, it'll be _fine_. And I'm choosing to trust them that my life isn't over yet. How about yours?"

"All of my friends are dead: the love of my life is dead; my child is dead," Kari listed off tonelessly. "My life ended over a year ago."

"Bring it back, then. Make a new one. It's not over until _you're_ dead, too," Cinder said fiercely. "And we're not dead yet, are we? Either of us! So why stop, why give up? As long as we can still breathe, as long as we can still fight...well, I don't know about you, but I'm not just going to lay down and accept defeat - failure! Not when it comes to any battle, not when it comes to my whole life! There are options, you can still find a way to go forward!"

Surprise crossed Kari's face. "You're still young. But how long until that fire of yours is extinguished?"

Cinder lifted her chin. "Longer than it probably took _yours_ to; I'm sure I can beat your record easily enough - it sounds pathetic to me."

Kari's face seized. Her eyes narrowed. Then, she put her hand to her face, and began to laugh. High, ringing laughter. Real mirth, genuine amusement! Into the night air, it carried. It actually sounded rather...pleasant, to Cinder's ears. And, shockingly...familiar to her foggy mind. More proof of the woman's claims, then...Cinder's own mind couldn't deny it.

Suddenly, the woman's laughter was cut off by booming thunder. A roaring, a rumbling.

Kari turned toward the window, striding for it. Her hands grasped the sill as she gazed out into the sky.

Dark clouds rolled in overhead, quite suddenly. Thunder intensified, and flashes of red light burst from within it all.

The wind whipped up, and the storm settled over Vale, darkening the city completely.

Flashes of red lit up the darkness, briefly so...even still...

Cinder stared out the window, confused more than anything. "What- what is that? What...did you _do?_ "

"I- I did nothing. But I wouldn't deny I am responsible...for all of this." Kari's voice was twisted, _anguished_. Real, powerful emotion, nakedly shown for first time. She still hadn't turned around. Then- "She sent them. She must have taken my words seriously..."

"Who? Salem?" Cinder asked, in a whisper. She couldn't tear her eyes from the sky. Even more so after what happened next.

The storm clouds pulled back, and out of it emerged a massive monster. A _Grimm_ , with wings and teeth, and a huge crystal structure atop it. It looked like a _whale_ , Cinder thought, terror shooting through her. It was as big as an Atlas warship! No, far larger! Two, three times larger? Four?! And surrounding it were hundreds of flying Grimm - from griffons and sphinxes to Nevermores, and on to giant jellyfish-like Grimm crackling with powerful electricity.

As that massive Grimm whale opened its mouth, Grimm sludge began to pour all over the city, drenching buildings, roaring down the streets like a flash flood. And out of it all emerged dozens, no hundreds of land-based Grimm at once!

Kari drew a breath, and her eyes flared with those blue flames again, that strange power of hers from the night of the dance. Wind swirled around her, and she began to lift off and glide out the window.

"Where are you going?!" Cinder yelled after her.

"To stop this - I'm the one responsible for it!" Kari called back to her, soaring right toward the monstrous whale Grimm hanging high in the sky.

* * *

Kari flew for the whale Grimm, soaring past griffons, swerving to avoid Nevermores, and creating brief magical barriers to block the lightning bolts from the jellyfish-like Grimm.

The monstrous Grimm opened its mouth, and Kari soared right into it.

To her surprise, the Grimm's insides were _hollow_. An interior, made of bone, perhaps. Pulsing red lines and symbols on the floor...a pier...and a throne at the far side.

Standing right on the pier, right in front of Kari as she leveled out in the air, was Salem.

Salem's eyes glowed a burning red - her arms, which had previously been held high, lowered to her waist, and came together there. "Kari," she spoke, simple, casual. Warm. "This is a surprise."

Kari hovered there before her, her sword held tight at her side. She glided forward, and set down on the pier. She took two steps forward, putting her directly in Salem's face, eye to eye. "I have the Maiden powers," she said flatly. "Call this all off."

"Oh, no, Kari, you see...you _haven't_ actually done all that I asked of you," Salem said lightly, _laughing_. The back of her hand to her lips. "If I recall, I _also_ asked you to bring me Cinder Aryle, and the Relic of Choice. And I asked you to destroy the CCT Tower." Salem's hands spread, and her lips formed a smile. An eyebrow raised. "Well? I don't see either of those things here before me - and Beacon Tower seems to still be in working order. All I see before me is just...you. You, empty-handed...This is why I decided to take your wonderful advice: I came here to do it all myself."

"Stop this, and _I'll_ finish the mission," Kari lied, keeping her face utterly impassive. Her voice bereft of even a single hint or quiver to betray her. More than she ever had in her life, than faced with any past abuser she could recall. Any moment. "Just give me time, and an environment I can actually work within. This is all pointless, gratuitous destruction and death - and I told you I wasn't going to allow that."

" _You_ won't allow...? I'm afraid it's too late for that, dear," Salem said, shaking her head. She turned away, glided away down the pier, her back to Kari. "With all of this chaos, this _fear_...bloodshed...the Grimm are frenzied, and there's no stopping it now. It's already in motion, and not even _my_ command over my own forces could snap them out of it. More and more will come in from surrounding areas, from the woods, as well - and those ones are most certainly beyond my control."

Salem stopped, sighing so sweetly. "I'm afraid you'll just have to work with things as they are. I don't recommend getting sidetracked with...huntress heroics, either; putting your desires before my own would be a grave-"

Kari erupted with blue energy, and slashed Persuasion across Salem's neck from a distance. Salem's head rolled, and her body fell. And suddenly, with that swing of a blade, utter clarity filled her mind.

"Mistake..." she said quietly, finishing Salem's sentence.

And the full weight of it all came crashing down on her at last: Every last huntsman she had killed over the past year, her attacks on even the students, the losses of civilian life she had passed off as natural collateral brought about on a mission - but it was so different, it had always been. Five lives lost because she hadn't _cared_ where or how she swung her blade in a public setting; she had forced herself not to care. To care for nothing but revenge, but hatred, but her mission. But this pain in her soul that she told herself excused...everything. Even told herself it excused being...a little sloppy, not up to her usual. That those lost lives were just- her being off her game in the field. As if working for Salem was anything like the missions a huntress went on. As if anyone she had cared for would have excused it for her as she had tried to do for herself!

It excused nothing.

Kari extended her palm at the corpse of Salem, and it erupted into blue flames. She burned the flames higher, hotter, until the body became nothing but scattered ashes.

She stalked over to the head, lifting her boot, and stomped down on it with all her might.

Cracked bone, torn flesh. A disfigured mess.

She knelt down and put her hand on witch's skull, and swathed it in blue fires as well. It, too, became nothing but ashes.

The Gods' powers might be able to bring Salem back, even from this, but how long would that take?

In the meantime, Kari could do what she could for Vale - for the innocents she should have been protecting, even now, instead of acting against them.

There weren't any excuses. And there was no more deluding herself about any of her actions lately.

But for all the magic in the world, it was not as if she could reverse time.

Just as there would never be any restoring of life to her loved ones...there would never be a way to bring back the lives of the people she had killed as a response to that pain, that grief that had consumed her. That she had _let consume her_.

Kari Silvers didn't know how she was even going to keep living with _this_ now.

But she would, because as long as she was alive, as long as she could still fight...she could use all that she had, all that she was, to protect and save innocent lives in the world. It was _all she could do now_.

Even if all Kari wanted right then was to lay down, and cry, and scream, tear out her hair and punch herself in the face - she couldn't. She wouldn't.

She took a single breath, a single moment to turn her face into a stone mask, and she jumped off the pier and flew back down to Vale.

Even if she wasn't a huntress anymore...that didn't mean she should have ever stopped acting like one!

Roman was right: Wyn, Iris, Iolanthe...wouldn't they all think far worse of her for giving up right now, abandoning everything they had ever stood for, than _just_ how disappointed - horrified - they would have been with her for her actions in the first place? If she never tried to make amends, never tried to correct it - correct _herself_?

Kari had to set things right. With the world...and with herself.

* * *

"Six hours!"

"Twelve."

"Eight!"

"Twelve."

"Ten!"

"Twelve."

"Seven!"

"Twelve."

"Six!"

"You're going the other way."

"I know that!"

The doctor shook her head at Cinder. "You're not getting out of this bed before you're ready."

"It's been _hours_ , my friend are out there, the Grimm are everywhere! I'm the Vytal Tournament _champion_ \- or didn't you catch the broadcast?" Cinder retorted, crossing her arms. "They need me - Vale needs me!"

"The Vytal Tournament champion needs her rest, or she's going to tear her body apart on the inside, and start bleeding heavily all over her own organs again."

"Grrrrr!" Cinder tried to sit up, and fell back in a fresh wave of agony. "What if I...was on a stretcher? I could use my bow from there - my _arms_ are just fine! Emerald could carry me."

Emerald looked uncomfortable. "Actually, I think you should...probably stay right here. I'm really worried about you."

"Listen to me!" Cinder demanded, glaring.

"Sorry...I just can't on this one."

"I hate you!"

"Fine - but at least you're going to get better while you do."

"You should be the one listening to your friend here," The doctor interjected. "Just stay still, and recover. If the Grimm are still in the city by the time you've recovered, I'll release you for duty in the morning. But until then..."

"Screw you!"

The doctor sighed.

"Could you at least get me some food?" Cinder snapped out.

"Your large intestines took serious-"

"I _know_ \- but you said I only couldn't eat _solid food_ ," Cinder cut across. "I can think of plenty of foods that aren't _solid_. Applesauce, soup..."

"I'll see what I can get for you," the woman said quietly.

"Thank you," Cinder said, sincere. She shut her eye, and relaxed back into her bed as the doctor left the room.

Her scroll beeped, and she snatched it up in hand.

A message from Pyrrha, short and sweet: **Moved on from commercial district - crossed back over into residential. Aquatic Grimm have approached from the ocean; one airship was torn out of the air as we moved over the water. As far as I know, no one we know was on board. It was suspected to have been a Krakyn - there were tentacles involved.**

Cinder sighed. At least she was being kept updated, roughly every hour now.

It was...almost like being there.

Being there to fight, being there with her friends. With her team.

With the people she cared about. The people she _loved_.

And was terrified out of her mind for.

Because Pyrrha was out there fighting with a stupid spare weapon of a spear given to her by some fourth year student, unfamiliar to her, and Blake was...Blake. She was above Emerald in skill, but still far below Pyrrha and Cinder! She was in the middle. And being in the middle...didn't give you good odds on surviving a battle, did it? You had to be at the top, the best, to do that! Or...or at least have _the best_ fighters out there to help protect you!

But Cinder couldn't be there for Blake! She couldn't _do anything yet._ All she could do...was just try to _hope_ things would turn out okay.

But, as she had told Pyrrha time and time again...Cinder was not like her: she was _not_ an optimist.

She really wished she was, though.

* * *

Kari blasted a powerful beam of blue flames at the Grimm Whale's flank.

She twisted to avoid a Nevermore, and then several sphinxes. She took off, flying along the Grimm Whale's body, flipping over to the other side and racing around the crystal structure atop it.

She had been trying to fell the massive creature for roughly six hours now, but all she had done - even with this power of hers - was what amounted to moderate amounts of damage.

It was just too big, too hardened. Even for the magic of a Maiden.

Salem had made it fortified enough to be worthy of being called what it was, after seeing the interior: a mobile command base.

And even now, in morning's earliest light beginning to shine, Kari was no closer to destroying the creature than when she had first begun her assault on it.

Perhaps if the Atlas airships could lend their assistance...but for some reason, they were all sitting dead in the water - the air, rather. Unmoving, not even firing at the Grimm that landed on them and began tearing into them, tearing them apart. The turrets were silent. They had been for many hours now. The obvious suspect was Salem (or Watts, rather, on her behalf), who had disabled them somehow.

A blast of lighting streaked out from a Grimm Jellyfish, striking Kari and sending her spiraling down through the air.

She righted herself and sent a blast of flames for the Grimm, burning through it furiously.

Several Griffons came at her, and a Sphinx fired a fireball at her.

Kari slashed her blade to kill two Griffons, evaded the third, and took the fireball on her blade, reinforcing her Aura.

She heaved a breath, and let herself drop from the sky.

Six hours straight of trying to divert the attention of the Grimm in the skies from seeking prey below, using herself as bait and distraction. Six hours of trying to bring down the massive whale...

Kari was exhausted.

But she had to keep going.

She had to.

The world demanded nothing less of her - her _team_ , her _partner_ demanded nothing less of her. Their memories and all they valued...demanded nothing less of her. If she was to ever make any amends for what she had done this past year under Salem's command.

But she was so...so tired...

Kari continued to fall, twisting and turning.

She caught herself at last second with a gust of magical wind, settling onto a rooftop on her back.

Kari sucked in air, clasping a hand to her chest.

She had been on so many missions before, but never ones that had lasted quite this long, this continuous. This intensive.

Kari was as her Semblance was - something to blitz, to act in an instant, to be in motion for a few seconds before going still again, awaiting the next move. The next strike. She got in, and she got out again. That was her way.

She wasn't at all someone used to fighting all out, without pause or respite. Not like this.

Not even close.

Yet...she would.

Kari pushed herself up, and soared straight back up into the air to press on.

She dodged and weaved, she sent out streaks of lightning and burning blue flames. She slashed with her sword as she flew past and between the Grimm.

And then a massive beam of multicolored energy, surrounded by a dozen strands, came soaring out from the side of the Whale Grimm, and struck her.

Kari fell through the air again, her body burning like she had never felt before, a scream wrenched from her lips.

She scanned the Grimm Whale frantically, and saw, standing atop it, was Salem. Whole again. Alive still. And utterly pissed off.

Salem stood, her arms raised, her eyes glowing red, a ball of purple energy shimmering in her hands. Her evil gaze was locked squarely onto Kari.

That energy sphere in Salem's hands burst with power, and another energy beam came streaking for Kari through the night sky, lighting it all up.

Kari triggered her Semblance and flew left in a furious burst of speed to evade it. She twisted around in time to see the beam curving sharply, coming right for her even still - homing in on her. She flew straight down, twisting and weaving underneath a Nevermore, soaring along the side of the Grimm Whale. The magical beam was still pursuing her, crackling and surging with speed of its own now.

Kari slowed slightly as she arced left, flying toward the crystal structure atop the Grimm Whale. The beam closed in on her, and she formed a magical sphere of a barrier around herself, putting all her magic into it.

The beam struck the barrier, and powerful energy wisps and lightning bolts burst out from contact point, casting into the night in brilliant beauty.

But Kari's barrier held, until the beam dissipated.

She let the barrier go, relieved it had withstood the assault.

That was useful information to know.

Kari flew for the back of the Whale Grimm, intent on continuing her work up here - Salem's interference or not.

Every second the Grimm spent trying to come after her up here, was time they were _not_ spending assaulting people on the ground.

And every second...was precious.

* * *

"It's been twelve hours!" Cinder announced. She sat up, making to stand up from the medical bed.

Morning light was now confidently shining in through the window.

The doctor came rushing over, shaking a finger at her. "Lay _down_ , Miss Aryle - _now._ "

"Look!" Cinder gestured to the clock furiously. "See?"

"I do see," the doctor nodded.

"Then let me up already! The Grimm aren't stopping, people are tired and hurt - they could use a fresh huntress! Especially one as skilled as me."

"You have a very high opinion of yourself, don't you."

"Yes."

A sigh. "Miss Aryle...you are not a cake, baking in an oven, that is done and ready to go the very _second_ that the timer reaches zero. You are a human being, who is in a very delicate state right now. If I'm going to let you out at all, you're going to stay there, and we're going to do a few tests to determine whether or not you should be kept longer."

Cinder fell back onto the bed - winced with pain.

"Thank you," the doctor said softly. She moved to Cinder's side, beginning to roam her hands and inspect her with critical eyes. "Even if I see fit to release you now, I wouldn't advise any sort of strenuous physical activity."

"Like what?"

"Running, jumping, going up and down stairs - triple back flips and leaping off of rooftops."

"So, just, basically anything necessary to fight the Grimm then," Cinder replied, sarcastic. "What _can I_ do, in your expert opinion, doctor?"

"You have a bow and arrow, and skills with Dust magic, don't you?" The doctor said idly. "You can stand perfectly still and fire at the Grimm from a respectable distance - and preferably a high vantage point as well. That would be one of the ways you could still do your part, and not put undue strain on your body. Strain that could lead to you bleeding inside again."

"I guess..." Cinder conceded. As long as she could get out there - be with her team, her friends. Do what huntresses were meant to do. That was the only reason why she was even putting up with half the ways and places this doctor was touching her. Causing her irritating stresses and even pain, a few times.

"All right," the doctor said, taking her arm. "Let's try getting you on your feet now. We'll do this slow, and we'll do a few more tests."

"Ugh..." Cinder swung her legs off the bed and slammed her foot the floor. She stood - and immediately regretted it. "Shit!"

"Can you stay standing, or is it too much? I need you to be honest with me."

Cinder wobbled, grasping the woman's arm and trying to straighten herself up again. She breathed, let it go. She let a minute pass, and she breathed a little easier. "I can stay up. It's easy."

"Hmm...Try walking across the room, then, if you feel you can. Don't be afraid to lean on your friend for help," the doctor added, with a meaningful look at Emerald.

Emerald was at Cinder's side in an instant, taking her arm. But Cinder shrugged her off, holding her head high as she took her first steps on her own. She was pleased with herself when she made it all the way across without stumbling once. She still had to brace herself on the wall for a few moments, though, when she got there. Because of her body, and because her missing eye was making her vision all...weird. She nearly misjudged the distance, her hand coming up a bit before she had actually reached the wall.

"All right. Excellent. Now come back."

Cinder did, and she did it much more easily. "See?" she said, flashing a confident smirk. "Easy."

"Let's spend a bit more time before I make any final assessments."

Cinder growled with frustration - but she endured it all further. Until finally, the woman said she could leave if she wished; she could go and join the efforts to protect Vale, even.

She walked out with a burning determination in her soul.

It was finally time to fight again.

Emerald was at her side as she moved through the building, hovering - waiting to grab her, Cinder knew. But Cinder didn't need that.

"Oh, hey! Cinder!" Emerald seized her arm, tugging at her.

"What?" Cinder gritted, glancing at the girl without stopping.

"Bondi's room is just around the corner there...if you wanted to say hello..."

"She's still here?"

"She still wants to be here," Emerald shrugged, discomforted.

"Then leave her," Cinder decided, tugging her arm away and stalking on. _If Bondi thinks being here will keep her from doing_ that _again to herself...then this is the safest place for her. I'd take her being alive and well versus out there fighting Grimm, where she might just let herself get eaten or something else idiotic like that!_

"O-ok...yeah. So, where are we headed?"

"The dorms," Cinder replied. "I need a dress - I need weapons. Dust."

"Makes sense. We'd better hurry."

"What do you think I'm doing?" Cinder snapped.

"Sorry, I just-"

" _Quiet._ "

Emerald obeyed, meekly following after her.

* * *

_Ow...ow...ow...ow...ow..._

"What's with the formal wears? Did you think you were going to a party instead of a Grimm invasion?"

Cinder strode carefully down the ramp of the airship, in glistening black gown and elbow length evening gloves. A flare of pain as she stepped off the ramp onto solid street. She fixed a smirk on her face as she strode up to the Atlas soldier who had spoken (with Emerald hot on her heels, as ever). She set a hand on hip, doing her best not to wince at the pain the pressure of her own grasp caused in the bone; she let up a little, leaving only a very ginger set of fingers laid over her body. "Yes, actually - the party of death," she answered loftily.

"Funny," the soldier deadpanned. He brought up a scroll, tapping through it. He glanced at the pair of them. "With you two being first year students, we'll have you both over there with Auburn Squad. Provide support as they work to clear out hostiles and secure a six block radius out from this location. We need to establish a new safe zone in this district for civilians - the last one was overrun an hour ago. Understood?"

Cinder's lip curled. She nodded, turning away and striding off for the four man group of Atlas soldiers. There were several robots around them as well, standing like statues. So this was how it was, again: her, under the whim and command of damn Atlesians. She wasn't going to do anything to hurt them, as much as she wanted to, but...they _were_ just ordinary soldiers in the midst of a Grimm invasion. In which case, well...she could try some of that optimism of Pyrrha's...

 _I hope you all die,_ she thought viciously. _I won't kill you, but I don't have to care when you get eaten alive in front of me!_

"Hey, kid."

Cinder stopped. Turned back to gaze at the soldier over a shoulder. Twisting at the hips like that caused as pike of pain in her waist, her thighs, to shoot down her legs. She held in a gasp, biting her lip firmly. "What?" she gritted out.

"Are you even fit for combat? We all saw the broadcast last night - and you-"

"A doctor said I was fit for release," Cinder snapped. "I wouldn't be out here if they hadn't, would I?"

The soldier held her gaze. "No, no you wouldn't. We'll have no problems, then."

"No, we won't," Cinder agreed, raising her chin before promptly ignoring the man.

One soldier from the squad broke away, coming up to her and Emerald. A woman probably only a few years older than Cinder herself! "The name's Lila - squad leader - it's good to work with huntsmen. I've never seen one of you in action before, but the things I've heard you can do...it sounds incredible." The woman's voice was clear and kind - even a bit eager. She stuck out her hand, smiling.

Cinder glanced at that hand, then turned her head aside with a snort.

Emerald moved-

"Don't take it," Cinder snapped.

Emerald let her hand drop, stepping away.

Lila the Atlas squad leader let her own hand fall, pressing her lips together at Cinder. She hefted a Dust rifle, shaking her head. "Right, well, you heard the orders from our commanding officer - so let's get to it."

Cinder just nodded, gesturing broadly down the street. "Lead the way."

"Where exactly are we going first?" Emerald asked quickly, flushed.

Lila gave her a glance, a neutral look before turning away to start off down the street, with her little soldiers in tow (and her six nondescript robots). "Two blocks east is a hotel that the Grimm have gotten into - Beowolves and Ursa. Possible reports of an Ursa Major, but people are scared, unreliable, and I doubt a Major could even fit through half of the doors in the place...But we'll see. There are currently upwards of four dozen civilians barricading themselves in their rooms - families."

Cinder just gave a nod, taking in the information.

They quickly moved two blocks over, and stood in front of the large hotel building.

Cinder clenched her fists as they entered. Her body began to shake, and it wasn't entirely because of the pain she was feeling with each step.

Atlesians, and now a place like this...was the world throwing more tests of fate at her?

She'd pass them like she had the others!

She had _won_ the tournament - even if _after_ her victory things had gotten a little...out of her control. But that was _fine,_ she had recovered fine, she would be _fine_ , and she- she- she would find and _murder Tyrian Callows_ for it all! She just had to rid herself of this damn Atlas squad, get away with Emerald...and go after that man. And she would kill him, and everyone would _love her for it for once_ , because everyone loved it when you killed a world wide renowned serial killer! It was like a freebie for Cinder! And killing him would even keep him from going on to kill even more people - selfless, altruistic huntress life code satisfied in the process!

* * *

"We have contact - three Beo's! Open fire and fall back!"

Cinder stood still as Lila and her squad retreated back down the hallway on the second floor of the hotel, smirking to herself.

Gunfire lit up the hall, the Beowolves racing after their prey even as they took the hits.

Cinder forged a bow and an explosive arrow, notching it and letting it go - all in less than a second. The arrow struck the center Beowolf in the chest, burned bright, and exploded, sending the two flanking monsters right through the walls on both sides.

She strode forward, using her Semblance to turn her bow into twin glass blades, and she did a quick slash to decapitate the center Grimm. She turned left on a heel and darted in quick to stab her blades through the second Grimm's face as it recovered - in through the mouth, up through the brain. She tore free and let it evaporate, and began to turn back the other way. Pain flared, and she gasped, hand flying to her ribs automatically.

The last Grimm was lunging for her, slashing its claws.

Emerald's blade hooked the Grimm from afar, and she yanked her chain and pulled it to the floor on its face. She rushed forward and used her other sickle to slice its throat several times in less than two seconds, decapitating it. She sighed with relief and retracted her chain, then strode to Cinder and touched her shoulder. "How are you-"

"Fine," Cinder growled, shoving her arms down to her sides and straightening up. She twirled her blades with quick wrist motions before striding back over to the soldiers.

"That was every bit as amazing as I thought it'd be," Lila said, whistling. "You hardly even moved."

Cinder smirked broadly, lifting her chin. "Thank you."

"Move up," Lila told her squad, gesturing forward. She strode past Cinder, as did the other three, and their robots.

Cinder's smirk left her. She turned and glared at the back of the woman's head. _Rude. But what can you expect out of Atlas?_

She stalked after them with clicking heels, giving her blades another twirl.

After further navigating the hallways, they opened a broken room door to find carnage and blood.

Bodies strewn about, torn apart.

It looked like two men and a little girl. A family?

A dead family.

Cinder turned her swords back into a bow, recombined with her Semblance, and stomped into the room. The blood-stained, gut-strewn Beowolf in the corner turned its head to look at her. It licked its muzzle, growling at her. She growled back, and fired three explosive arrows at it at once in a snap second; the wall was blown apart, window and all, and the Grimm was sent flying out into open air. It disintegrated on the way down, becoming _nothing_.

"God...never mess with huntsmen," Lila said, a quaver of awe in her voice. "Anyway - come on now."

Cinder left the room, closing her eye a brief moment.

_A failure._

She should have gotten here sooner, she should have been here _hours and hours ago!_ If these damn Atlas soldiers hadn't held her up, if that doctor hadn't held her up, if she hadn't been injured...If she was at her best right now...

_Fuck!_

She was supposed to be perfect, she was supposed to be the best, she was supposed to be the _champion_ and the _hero_ , she wasn't _supposed to fail like this!_

"C-Cinder, are you...?"

Cinder shoved Emerald off her, quickening her pace to blow past the Atlas soldiers and robots.

"Hey, get back here - you can't rush on ahead!" Lila called after her, hard. "We have to observe proper-"

The floor suddenly exploded upward, and bursting out of it came a large Grimm serpent. A Taijitsu, Cinder identified it as from all her classes! Thankfully, not a _King_ Taijitsu, otherwise they would have been in very, very serious trouble. Those were often four to six times larger than normal variants. As it was, the snake was still massive, and they were _still_ going to be in _some trouble_. Taijitsu in general were very difficult to fight, let alone kill.

Cinder leaped back, aiming her bow and firing off an explosive arrow; it blew up in the serpent's large face, causing it to hiss and shake its head. But it wasn't dead, not by a long shot.

Emerald and the soldiers all fired on the monster together.

Cinder fired another arrow, and then a third - the Grimm shrieked and quickly retreated back down the hole it had made. She stalked forward and leaned down, firing an arrow after it in an instant. The arrow flew down the hole from the second floor, and then on down _another hole_ in the ground floor! Into darkness, where it exploded. But it didn't seem to have caught the serpent.

" _That_ is why you don't run ahead!" Lila snapped, coming up beside Cinder and peering down the hole. The helmet flashlight shone down the hole - both holes. The woman whirled away, slapping her hand to her helmet. "Of course it came from the basement! The place we decided _not_ to check out just yet. Wonderful! It must have gotten in here without anyone noticing and decided to make a nice home for itself."

" _Don't_ tell me what to do, Atlesian!" Cinder glared at the woman, shoving out at her. "If you can't handle a single Grimm snake, why don't you get out and leave it to us. We could take it down alone just _too easily_! You're just _dead weight!_ "

Lila let the push go uncontested. She glowered back, looked her up and down, then shook her head and stepped away. "Look, girl, this isn't a playground squabble where we each try to one up each other. There's no getting one over me, there's no dominating me, there's no bullying me. There is only one, single, clear hierarchy at play here, and it is never going to change. You _will_ remember what your place is in it, or we are going to have-"

Cinder's arm came up, her fist slamming into Lila's face with a burst of Aura, sending her flying back down the hall, sprawling on her backside. Two other soldiers stepped in front of her, and one dared to grab her arm! Cinder pulled free and whirled around, striding away on painful legs at a very fast pace. " _Emerald, come._ "

Emerald hurried to obey.

"Where the hell do you even think you're going?" Lila's voice shouted out. "Stop, right now!"

Cinder did stop. Her hands trembled at her sides. Her fists opened and closed. "Huntresses are free operatives - I was _tasked_ with cooperating with you Atlesians, but I'm _not_ under your command, and I _will not_ be ordered around by you any more. You're welcome to _try_ and stop me, but..." She activated her Dust, forming a flaming glass blade in hand, and turned and hurled it down the hallway with help from her Semblance (to help counteract her one eyed problem); it spun as it went, and in a single second it crossed the distance, and the hilt smacked into the front of the woman's helmet. It shattered the flashlight, taking away a light.

Lila fell backwards again - but this time, she didn't get up again.

" _That's_ how it's going to go: every time," Cinder finished with satisfaction. That proved it, didn't it? These Atlesian soldiers were _weak, useless!_ They were only slowing her down, holding her back from saving people when and where she could! _They_ were the problem, not her! She and Emerald could work much more effectively out on their own!

She stalked around the corner and moved swiftly down the hall, kicking open the door to the stairwell. She promptly collapsed as soon as she stepped inside. She grabbed for Emerald, clinging to her as a high noise escaped her lips. " _Shit, shit, shit..._ "

"I-it's okay, I've got you, I'm here! Nice job with the throw - you didn't even kill the bitch, but _man_ did you humiliate her! She'll probably get shit for it for ages-"

"Shut. Up," Cinder gasped, the world still spinning for her.

"Sorry!" Emerald said instantly.

Cinder gazed down the stairwell, wondering how she was even going to make it back down. She wondered how she had even made it up at all, honestly.

_Dammit, I should have taken the "no stairs" warning seriously..._

She glanced at Emerald, still clinging to her. "Carry me down - please?"

"Of course!" Emerald scooped her up in her arms like a bride. Cinder barely contained a high shriek, and she smacked her fist against Emerald's shoulder hard enough to flare her Aura. "Sorry, sorry! Are you good now?"

"I'm...just... _fine_ ," Cinder breathed, seeing stars in her field of vision. "Just go! I don't want those idiot Atlesians trying to stop us."

"Got it. I'll have you down in no time."

Cinder's Aura rippled and sputtered across her body the whole way down, actively trying to fight the internal jostling she was going through now.

"Dammit..." she murmured. She needed her Aura to fight the Grimm! It couldn't be being wasted on this crap, even in small amounts! If it broke again, she would have to wait for it to recharge again.

They reached the bottom, and Emerald set her on her feet again. Cinder leaned against Emerald, digging her nails into her arms and putting a hand to her abdomen.

"Are you ready to-" Emerald began.

"I'll let you know when I'm ready!"

"Ok!"

Cinder drew several breaths, closing her eye a minute. Then, she pushed away from Emerald and moved out into the hall.

Time to be a huntress - nothing and no one getting in her way of it!

Especially not incompetent Atlas military _morons_!

She'd leave _them_ to this damn hotel, leave them to the damn snake! If they wanted to do things their way so badly, then fine! They could have at it!

Cinder would do more good elsewhere.

* * *

As Cinder and Emerald strode down the chaotic streets, an enormous Nevermore suddenly came in over the city, wings flared, claws wide open.

Massive feathers were sent flying down the street, piercing buildings, vehicles, and even very unlucky civilians; a woman took one straight to her chest, pinning her where she stood, limp and dead in an instant.

Cinder began firing explosive arrows at the approaching Grimm, but it was largely undisturbed. Emerald fired at it with her weapons as well, to little effect as well.

The Nevermore drew closer, soaring just above the rooftops now, a wake of powerful wind shattering windows and upending cars - frightened civilians were blasted into the walls, hurled into the air like a scattering deck of cards from the powerful force of wind. An airborne vehicle came crashing down on a huddled family of four. A small boy was the only survivor, shoved aside by his father - but he wouldn't live long. Not with a truck crushing his lower body completely.

But if there was a chance...

He hardly could have been six, Cinder thought numbly.

Cinder broke into a run, straight down the street, even as the Nevermore continued its approach. She raced past corpses, scattered survivors, she ran around a city bus laying on its side in the middle of the street. She ran despite the agony in her stomach, burning down her legs like fire. She reached the boy, dropping down before him more out of pain than any real plan to do so. She gasped and loosed a whimper on her knees, slamming her fist to the ground. _Come on, move, body! I refuse to fail, I refuse to let you fail me!_

Cinder pushed herself up and seized the truck's frame, putting her Aura into it. She heaved, lifting, and gave a mighty pull that sent it rolling over twice onto the sidewalk with a great crash and crunching.

Cinder dropped down again, again, more out of the pain than a real intent to do so. She seized the boy up in her arms and stood; pain ripped through her abdomen, and she staggered aside with a scream she couldn't contain.

"Cinder!"

She turned, just in time to see the Nevermore bearing down on her with its large, sharp beak wide open.

Emerald blew past her in a rush of wind and Aura, planted her feet, and shoved out with her hands to meet that approaching monster's beak, reinforced with high flaring Aura.

The Nevermore barreled into Emerald; her Aura shattered in an instant, and she was sent flipping up through the air wildly. It didn't even _stop_ , not for a millisecond. The Nevermore ascended sharply, and it snagged Emerald right out of the air, claws piercing her body as it carried her away into the sky.

" _Emerald!_ " Cinder screamed. She fell on her side, still clutching the boy in her arms. She let the child go and took her bow in hand, aiming from the ground at the Nevermore; she fired arrow after arrow, from Fire to Ice, to Lava, Earth, and even newly crafted Wind types. Nothing worked, the Nevermore wasn't more than inconvenienced, giving a little hitch in the air and a screech at the impacts.

And it _never_ let Emerald go.

_No, no, no! Goddammit, no!_

Cinder stared after the Grimm as it disappeared over the horizon, behind the taller buildings.

She struggled to her feet, shaking, tears spilling free down her face. She took an unconscious step forward, and her foot struck the boy at her feet. She glanced down, blinking her eye.

He was crying too, he was in pain too - worse than hers?

Cinder stooped to retrieve him again, and sort of just started wandering off down the street.

Where was that safe zone again? Was it east, or north? Was east...left of her, or behind her now?

Cinder ultimately just decided to go back the way she had come.

She walked, and walked, and walked.

As she walked, high screaming became louder and louder.

It brought her mind back into sharp focus.

She was a huntress, she was here, she had a job to do! She couldn't fail it!

_Get back in the game, get your damn head on straight!_

Cinder clutched her bow in one hand, readjusting her grip on the child.

She picked up her pace, and the screaming was intermixed with snarling and howling now.

Cinder came to an intersection, and rounded the corner.

Broken vehicles, flaming debris, ruined storefronts...

A Beowolf chasing after a familiar girl in a dirty, bloody skirt and top, with messy, long blonde hair.

Cinder set the child down and quickly aimed her bow on that familiarity alone, an impulse to protect and save a life flaring in her - what a huntress _did_. She didn't recognize the person, but she recognized that they were familiar to her, so she reasoned they had to be a fellow student or something. That was enough for her.

She drew back an arrow, aiming at the Beowolf as it closed in on the girl who was running down the street.

The girl caught sight of her, turning fully to face her, and then she started running _toward her_. Desperation, terror, _hope_...

"Cinder! Help me, _please_!" her stepsister screamed.

Cinder froze, arrow still notched. Her fingers trembled as they grasped the cord...but didn't release it yet.


	28. Does Your Dim Heart Heal Or Destroy?

"CINDER PLEASE, PLEASE I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY I'M SORRY- PLEASE DON'T LET IT EAT ME P-PLEASE - PLEASE I'M SORRY, YOU CAN'T LET IT KILL ME, PLEASE!!!"

Cinder stood frozen, watching the girl. Watching the Beowolf gain ground in great bounds on her. There was no possible way Amarill would make it to Cinder in time, not on her own...

_I could just let it happen; no one's even around who would care - would this half dead little boy even know, even realize that I could have stopped it but didn't? Who would he tell? Why?_

_It would be everything she deserves._

_It would be over in two seconds! And then I'd never have to see her again, never hear that voice again!_

_But I'm a huntress...and a good huntress...the best huntress in the world...would save her anyways. Honor, altruism, saving lives...good huntresses don't choose who to protect! Even if we hate them, we're supposed to do it anyways! Even if we want to just kill them ourselves! And I want to be that, and I don't want to_ fail _at being that! Which means I have to..._

_Her screaming is getting annoying!_

_It would be nice to hear more of her groveling - she can only do that if she's alive..._

_She never saved me once in her life; I could save her, once - prove I'm better than her!_

_Pyrrha, Rhodes, Ozpin, they'd all want me to do it - all that talk about compassion, empathy, selfless duty..._

_You know what they'd think about you if you did it, you know just what kind of look Pyrrha would have on her face - and you know how goddamn smart she is! She'd know, she'd realize what you did, even if you never said it! And she would never forget it - that you did it! All that love, all the joy on her face when you won the tournament...that kiss of hers...every single day she's spent helping you since you got to Beacon...maybe you'd get to keep being a huntress, maybe no one else would know, but you'd lose_ her _. Mentally, emotionally...in your soul, in her soul. In Pyrrha's soul...you'd be as good as dead to her! And she'd never forgive you for it. She wouldn't be understanding of it, not now, not like when you were a terrified, ten year old girl desperate for an escape..._

_You know better now, she knows you know better now - you're not desperate, you're not weak, you're not even afraid right now. Not right this second. And she's tried so hard, all the time, to help you be better! She'd be so disappointed, she'd be crushed! Not just her, your entire team, once they find out too! And they would, Pyrrha would tell them. And Blake would leave you for it._

_Pyrrha told you before: you can't just go doing illegal things just because no one is around to see you do it. She was very firm on that point, wasn't she? It was so important to her..._

_And this feeling...? This annoying, idiotic feeling...why is it even here now? For her? It's only for friends, it's only for teammates! Why do I even...care? What, because she said sorry? Sorry is a word, sorry means nothing! She's nothing, it's nothing! Why do I care?! Why can't I just do it already and end her forever?!_

_But none of that matters, not a single bit of it, does it? Because in the end, in the simplest terms: the perfect huntress would save her! It's...just the right thing to do. The good thing to do. Even for her! That's why it's good, that's why it's right! Even to people who don't deserve any of it!_

_Just - pretend she's literally anyone else! Ignore that it's her and just do it, and then you can just-_

Cinder let the arrow loose.

It flew past Amarill, so close to her head that it sliced off locks of her hair that were swirling about.

The Beowolf suddenly stopped, its eyes narrowed. It jerked its head to the side with a growl; the arrow flew on past it, striking the ground and coating it over with bursting ice.

 _I missed? Goddamn eye! I missed! I don't miss, I don't fail - not to one lousy Beowolf, and not the easy, simple little job to protect a worthless piece of crap like_ you _! You want to screw with me, you want to watch me fail again?! Fail this, say it was my fault, say I'm a terrible huntress? That I'm not capable of doing what's right, what I'm meant to do? Even for you?! Parade that around to all my friends, to my professors, to the Headmaster! I'm not letting you have the chance!_

Cinder changed her bow into twin swords of fire and glass, and lunged past Amarill with a burst of Aura. She flew at the Beowolf, driving both blades into its chest, driving it back. She stabbed it furiously, slashed its arms off, backflipped and kicked it under its chin to send it flipping back to hit hard on the asphalt. She leaped in atop it and shoved her blade down its throat, surging flames into its insides to make it glow. She triggered her Semblance, burning it to the max: the Beowolf burned with an intense glow, and then it disintegrated into glowing orange particles.

Cinder let a breath go. The world swayed and her vision swam, a scream was choked back as she suddenly fell sideways.

"C-Cinder-"

A hand grabbing her arm-

Cinder shoved out blindly, pushing herself to her feet with heaving breaths and a pure, animal snarling noise. She staggered away, slamming her hands to a ruined car, leaning her whole body over the hood. She pressed her face to the metal, clutching her stomach.

She swore she had felt something _shift_ inside her body this time. Her legs wouldn't stop shaking...burning...

"Grrrrrrr...." Cinder fell backwards and lay flat on the ground, swords falling from her grasp.

"Cinder please, let me-"

Cinder flashed a hand up, sending a stream of flames straight up into the air; her stepsister screamed, backing away with singed hair.

A half cry, half laugh emerged from Cinder, agony battling with amusement. Laughter to hurt her chest and wrack her muscles further with pain. "Idiot!" she burst out, gasping the word with a wide grin. "Fucking idiot - don't ever- t-touch me...or I'll...cut your arms off...like that Grimm! Get it, you- stupid...cunt..."

"I can...I can _h-help you_ \- you wanted me to, didn't you? You said...you said I never did before; I can do it now..."

"Do you think helping me up off the ground once will...change anything? Make my memories go away...? Of years of...all of it?" Cinder said huskily.

"No...no, I don't think that."

"Good. Because that's fucking stupid. I'm _never_ going to forget. Not a single second of it. And no matter how many times you...say sorry...it's never going to change a thing between us. The only reason I'm not killing you...is because I don't want to lose the wonderful life I have now, and the people I have in it now. My friends, my team, my _girlfriend_. Everything I built for myself, after escaping from the life I had with _you_. And because I don't want to see the looks on their faces - _on her face_ \- if I actually did it. No matter how _goddamn much I've wanted to, since I was ten years old._ And the only reason I actively _saved you_..." Cinder sucked in a breath. "is because that's what huntresses do - even for people like _you_. I'm not letting you be the one black mark on my record, I'm not letting you ruin my whole career, my whole life again! I'm not letting you get in one last _laugh while you trip me up and watch me fall!_ Do you hear me?!"

"Y-yes!"

"Good. Now hear this, too: You are _nothing to me_ right now. You're an _objective. A goal. A mission_. An _item_ that I have to carry around and make sure it doesn't _break_! Nothing more. Understand?"

"I'm sorry..."

"If I hear that one more time out of you, I'll-"

"You just s-said you wouldn't kill me!"

Cinder turned her head, flashing a grin. "You'd be surprised what you can live through..."

Amarill stumbled back, shaking her head, arms going around herself. "I-"

"Shut up," Cinder said absently.

Amarill obeyed. Mercifully.

The only bit of mercy she had ever given Cinder in life...

Cinder waited for several minutes, letting her Aura work on her before she attempted to stand up again. It was...enough not to scream again.

She hauled herself up with help from the vehicle, gripping its shattered window frame tight. She stumbled, smacked against it, and steadied.

She flexed her fingers and brought her glass weapons to her hands again. She shut her eye, breathing until it was under control.

"Okay." Cinder muttered, pushing off and stalking back toward the child in the street. She stopped, then looked at her stepsister. "I want you to carry him."

"I-" Amarill stared at the boy with horror, with apprehension. "I couldn't, what if I h-hurt him more, what if-"

"Carry. Him. Do something good _for once in your life_!" Cinder hissed. "Is it _really_ so hard for you?" she added, unrelenting, _furious_.

Amarill shook her head, backing away.

Cinder spat at her, then stooped to pick the boy up again. "You're beyond pathetic, and beyond disgusting."

"I- I don't know what to _do_ , I'm not a huntress, or a- a medic, or-"

" _Shut up!_ " Cinder snarled. "Shut. Up. Just _shut the hell up, and do every last thing I say._ And don't fall behind, or I'm not saving your pathetic ass _again._ "

Amarill let out a sob, ducking her head.

_Pathetic, useless idiot. Without power, you're nothing. Just like I was before. But now I have power, and I'm everything. My, how life can really switch things around..._

Cinder gazed at Amarill, then, on past her as a dark shape came bounding up behind her. Of course: they did travel often in packs. She raised her arm and hurled her blade out forward; Amarill ducked and screamed out a frantic, "I'm sorry!" The blade pierced the second Beowolf in the chest, sending it staggering backwards with a howl. Cinder flicked a finger and sent shards of Fire Dust crystals at the monster, and they detonated against its body. Superheated glass shards from the sword flew like shrapnel, tearing through the beast.

The Grimm fell, and turned to nothing.

Amarill was still on the ground, curled up on herself among the rubble and debris. And she was _still screaming_.

It wasn't even _satisfying!_ Cinder drew a long breath, and let it go. She stalked forward and seized Amarill by the arm, yanking her up to her feet again. She held her in a steely grip, the grasp of a superhuman, and tugged her in close, so they were face to face. " _Shut. Up. Right now!_ If I'd changed my mind about killing you, I would have wanted to do it up close and personal - how we are right here. And every time you scream, you're telling the Grimm where we are! You're not just putting _my life in danger_ with your pathetic cowardice, but you're endangering the life of _this innocent child!_ He actually _deserves_ the chance to live through this - _you_ don't! I swear to whatever gods you want to believe in, I'm not telling you again: You're going to _be quiet_ , or I'm going to _break your jaw and make you be quiet!_ All it would take is a little squeeze...just like _this_." She curled her fingers, applying pressure around Amarill's arm. Enough to _hurt_. "Do you understand me?"

Amarill's eyes went wide, full of fresh tears. She nodded as best she could, her mouth clamping shut.

Cinder let her go, whirling away and stalking off the way they were meant to be going. Or, the way she thought was the right way to go - where was that damn other safe zone?

Aside from the occasional whimpers and sniffles, Amarill was silent at last. For good.

A beep came from Cinder's scroll. She took it out and stared at the message.

It was from Pyrrha, telling her that she and Blake had spotted the Nevermore over the freeways, and directed soldiers to try to bring it down. They'd saved Emerald, but not killed the monster yet.

She also reported...

That a very powerful, skilled, large man had attacked them.

They'd gotten into a terrible fight, and _lost_.

The man had left them beaten, and left with Blake unconscious over his shoulder.

He had told them to tell Cinder about it.

Emerald was saved, then, but in exchange for Blake!

Cinder curled her fist and punched the nearest vehicle, blowing apart the roof with her Aura.

And whoever this man was, this one who had attacked, taken her, told them to tell Cinder...

Was he working with Callows, then?

It was obviously _bait,_ a trick and a trap. A lure.

But Cinder would walk into it willingly if it meant getting Blake back.

She texted Pyrrha back quickly, telling her she was on the way to the freeway.

Cinder at least remembered where _that_ was.

She glanced down at the child in her arms, giving him a little jostling. "Hey - are you still with me?"

The boy's head lolled, and he looked up at her. He nodded, whimpering.

"Good," Cinder said, relieved. "We're almost to...to some friends of mine. Huntresses. They'll be able to...help you. It's...going to be okay - I promise. Just...promise _me_ you'll try to- hang in there. Okay?"

Another nod. Hopeful eyes shining up at her.

Cinder nodded back. "Okay." She changed direction, heading off toward the distant highway structures.

* * *

After plenty of wandering the streets, Cinder came upon a new sight, a new sound to interrupt her journey.

In the movie theater parking lot, full of empty vehicles and corpses torn apart, a figure in black was leaping about, twirling and slashing a blade of deep red.

He pulled his blade from the chest of an Atlas soldier, then turned to face her. He wiped the blade clean of blood, sheathing it. "You look incredibly worse for wear today. But, that's how it goes, when you're trying so desperately to protect the lives of humans - and not a single faunus." His mask tilted toward Amarill, then back to Cinder - and the child in her arms.

Cinder rolled her eyes, snorting. "Oh, fuck off; I'm tired of that talk already. What are you even doing here right now?"

Adam simply tilted his head at the ground.

Cinder stared around him, at the bodies. It wasn't just one Atlas soldier - they were all Atlas soldiers. Over a dozen of them, dead. And suddenly she felt _furious._ "You- are you kidding me? Blake's in danger, out there, right now, there's a massive Grimm whale in the sky raining monsters on our heads, and you're screwing around killing Atlas grunts like it's all fine?!"

"Blake's-?" Adam's lips parted, his hand falling from his sword hilt. Then, he shook his head. "Why do you think I should care about Blake?"

Suddenly Cinder _knew_ what she wanted, what she needed. She just had to find the right way to convince him. Something, anything. Because, she admitted it...without Emerald anymore, without Pyrrha or Blake...just out here, _alone_ , with one dying child and one breakable mission objective to protect...Cinder needed... _help._ Skilled, strong help. And she was going to get it!

"Because you used to!" Cinder burst out. She stalked forward, pulling out her scroll to shove the message in his face - the proof from Pyrrha. "You were her partner, her _friend_! You _cared_ , didn't you? Some part of you still has to _now_! You said she left you, betrayed you, and that had to _hurt_! And if it _hurt that badly,_ then it means you _cared_! And you're just going to let her be taken off who knows where, by who knows who?!"

"I don't need a human telling me how to feel!" Adam yelled, stepping in and smacking her hand away with a vicious fist.

Cinder held her ground, raising her chin at him. "Well, you need _someone_ to tell you - because apparently you're too much of an idiot to realize it yourself!"

"You have no idea what you're even talking about." Adam laughed.

"You _care_. So go save her!"

"I used to - but she left me, she threw everything we had away! All our memories, all that fighting we did for our cause, for our _people_. Threw it away for _you_! For humans! All to run and hide! She's a coward, she's pathetic, and I _hate that I ever loved her!_ " Adam exploded. He breathed ragged, turning his head. "I did love her...but then she left me alone."

"She did," Cinder agreed simply. "And that has to _hurt_. And I'm sorry for that. But does that really mean you're just going to let her get eaten alive by the Grimm? Or beaten, or- or raped by her captors? One of them is a famous serial killer, you realize that? Tyrian Callows. Would you hear her scream, would you watch it happen? And feel _nothing_?"

"She'd deserve it, she'd-"

"This isn't a matter of deserving or not - or else I would have killed you, my entire stepfamily, General Ironwood, and probably half the Atlas military myself by now!" Cinder retorted. "It's about sucking it up, getting your _ass in gear_ , and doing what's right by your _soul_! You have to feel, you have to care, it has to still _matter_. So go act on it, go save her!"

"It doesn't matter now, none of it does. She's made that clear!"

"Has she? You know, she's compared me to you so many times now...worried about me becoming like you. But she's happy I _haven't_. That's why she's _still with me,_ and not with _you_ right now, you know! She hasn't run out on me yet, but I _know_ she's wanted to several times over already! My team just found out she was part of the White Fang - I let it slip - and _Blake still chose to stay with me!_ Because she sees that I'm different from you, as much as I'm the same. I've improved, I've grown; I've gotten _better. And she believes in me because of that! She trusts me, she has faith in me!_ You haven't changed, though; you're still stuck in your rage, in your vengeance, in spite and hate. And you need to try to _not be_. Like I told you before! Otherwise, she's _never_ going to want to be around you again! That's the reason, Adam! Not betraying your kind, or your _cause_ \- but because _she's afraid of you, of what you do!_ Accept it, learn from it, and _try_ \- and you might be surprised!"

"You're not better than me!" Adam roared. "Humans aren't better than us!"

"Right..." Cinder put hand on hip, smirking. "You know, if you really wanted to be better than humans, better than me...you'd actually care. You'd try to be better than me. By actually... _being better._ But you're not, you don't. Like I told you. So, right now, yes: I'm better than you. I care about Blake, I'd save her in a heartbeat. Any of my partners, my teammates. No matter how much they hurt me. Even if Blake left me, like _you_ said...I'd still go save her. And I'd do my _damn best to get her back!_ And I certainly wouldn't waste my time screwing around with Atlas military in the middle of a Grimm invasion. Where do you think I'm going right now? And what are _you_ doing?"

"Shut up already!" Adam yelled.

"I know it has to hurt, to hear this - it has to be difficult. It was for me! It's still a struggle for me, to be _bette_ _r!_ To accept that I have _issues_ , and to actually work on them, every single day! But I do it, and I try! And I succeed! And because of it, Blake is still with me - my friends are still at my side! And you can do it, too! Just _try,_ just _let it all go!_ Just for an hour or two! Just a moment! Just...enough time...for her. Isn't it better to laugh and love, to relax, to talk and read, to eat greasy foods and lay back with people you care about...than it is to just be angry and hateful all the time? To just be _rage_ and _fury_ and _vengeance?_ "

"Maybe _you_ have that luxury, but I-"

"Everyone has that luxury! You just _do it_. They're our feelings, our souls. Our friends. You just need to decide to do it. Put the rest aside...just for a moment. Just long enough."

"You think it's that easy?" Adam snapped.

"I just said I know it's not!" Cinder retorted, glaring. "I struggle with it, all the time. I'm struggling right now; don't you think I know it would be easier to just cut your head off and be done with this crap? Or my stepsister's head, right here? Or Ironwood's? But I don't, I'm not. Because I realize...that there are far more things to life worth living for than just hatred and revenge. And you...need...to realize it too. Or you'll stay stuck in it all, drowning in it all. Don't you want to come up for air sometime? Take a nice breath, smell the flowers, feel the sun - relax? Don't even do it for Blake, don't do it for me. Do it for you! I'm doing most of what I do for me, honestly - only a little bit of it is for my friends. It was different, before, but now...? Now it's all me. I'm all of me, I'm everything _I want to be._ I'm... _trying to be._ So why don't you? If I can do it, can't you? Or, are you not actually better than me, and it's beyond your capabilities?" she challenged softly.

Adam slowly sheathed his blade, gripping the hilt with a trembling hand.

"Better," Cinder nodded. "You know, they call you animals so often, you'd think you wouldn't want to act like one. Like a raging beast that only can go for the throat. Why do you want to let that be true? Why not prove them wrong? Every human wrong? Prove me wrong," she said, raising an eyebrow, flashing a smirk. "Beat me, be better than me - than any of us. If you even _can_. But I doubt it." She turned her back to him, stalking away.

"You assume I care what humans think about me!"

Cinder kept walking, making her voice casual. "How about just one human? A human you admitted yourself was a lot like you. Both slaves to Atlas, both branded by them, both tormented by them, both...came to care for Blake. And now...we can both come together to save her life. After that, feel free to run off and get back to...all of this. Can we understand each other, or not, Adam? I'm not an enemy, I hate Atlas more than even you could - don't be an idiot and pass up on a useful ally, on a partnership that can be beneficial for both of us. Potentially, anyway - I'm still waiting on your answer. And don't be an idiot by refusing my advice, either."

A long silence. Then, hard boots stalking up behind her. A low growl...

Cinder tensed, waiting...

And then Adam came up on her right, and fell into step beside her. That mask turned toward her, just slightly. "I'll take your advice - we'll see what happens - and I'll prove I _am_ better than you. I'll make you admit it, human. I'll even make _Blake_ admit it, once we're through. And if _you_ can prove you even mean half the things you say, I might just consider allying with you after all. As I _did_ say to you: we're alike."

"I look forward to it," Cinder said sincerely, relief flooding her body. She paused, glancing at him. An idea had just struck her. Stupid, obvious. So stupidly obvious. She was embarrassed with herself for not thinking of it sooner. It was a Grimm invasion, and surely huntresses were legally allowed to do it in a time of crisis...

"Help me find a vehicle with a matching set of keys."

* * *

After acquiring a van, the small, strange group that was on the verge of killing each other at any moment in a free for all - Cinder to kill Amarill, Cinder to kill Adam, Adam to kill Cinder, Adam to kill Amarill, Amarill probably _wanting_ Cinder to kill Adam for her (Atlas faunus prejudice and all) - somehow held, speedily making its way through the commercial district of Vale.

Speedily - and haphazardly as hell.

"Do you just hate _every single other car on the road,_ or what?!" Adam shouted as he was thrown against the passenger door. "Why are you _swerving into every single one of them?!_ "

"Shut up!" Cinder snapped, yanking the wheel and slamming on the brakes to avoid a truck. She clipped the side of the hood despite her best efforts, shattering the headlight and knocking it away into a signpost. "Driving lessons at Beacon were only in a car, not a big...stupid...van like this!"

"What the _hell_ are they even teaching you humans at that academy of yours?" Adam half laughed, half snorted with pure scorn. "How long have you even been-?"

"I don't need an interrogation by the idiot who thinks every last human is an evil piece of filth! You'll pick apart everything, find every little thing as some kind of fault!" Cinder retorted. "And by the way, my driving tutor was a faunus!" she added viciously.

"You know as well as I do what humans are capable of- _oof_! Hey!"

Cinder threw the wheel to the right, skimming Adam's side of the van against a garbage truck. "I'm trying to concentrate. Stop distracting me."

"Wipe that damn grin off your face, human - that one was on purpose!"

Cinder's lips spread wider, baring her teeth. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Then here's a clue: The humans of Atlas might be the _worst_ , but the rest aren't much better!"

"And faunus are any better than the masses?" Cinder shook her head, weaving between two cars and around debris from a ruined building. "Don't you think you yourself prove that faunus can be just as bad? All you want is to kill, kill, kill!"

"So do you!" Adam scoffed. "Don't pretend to be righteous on me now!"

"At least I'm _trying!_ "

"It's a meaningless effort! Why not give it up?"

"Because I think it's worth it! How much good it's brought into my life..."

"You're talking about career path - life opportunities. You don't need to be some righteous huntress to get those."

"And _you_ definitely don't need to be wasting your life on killing sprees when there are far more effective ways of fighting for your cause."

"So now the abused, sheltered little slave girl is suddenly an expert on civil rights movements?"

"No - but I know a bit about terrorist groups. Not my words," she added quickly.

"We are _not_ terrorists! We're revolutionaries, fighting for our people when the rest would just-"

"Never mind, shut up! I don't care!" Cinder had been _going to_ go on to explain how she supported their whole cause, and methods, but...Adam was just such an ass, she wasn't going to bother!

"And there it is! That's the problem with you humans! When you get confronted with the hard truth of it all, you flake out and run! Just like _Blake!_ "

"Don't make this about Blake, dammit!"

"I thought that was what you wanted," Adam laughed, putting hand to his mask.

Cinder took a hard turn left around a corner - the back of the van slammed against a storefront, shattering it, before she found traction and got back on the road.

" _Stop that already!_ " Adam exclaimed, punching her in the arm furiously. "You're childish!"

"And you're not?" Cinder smirked. "Who was it that decided to appear out of alleys, all dramatic and cool-like? Not that I'm saying it was. It was... _silly_."

"I already told you, that wasn't about-"

Cinder laughed. "Sure, whatever you say!"

"Grrrr!" His fist lashed out again.

Cinder caught it without looking. "Hit me again, and I'll throw you out of this vehicle while we're still moving."

"As expected of a human. You know that your kind have done that exact thing to mine, to kill us? People without Aura. Children, even."

"I didn't know that," Cinder admitted. "I'm sorry to hear that that happens, though."

"Sure you are. Every human is _sorry_ , until they actually have to stand up and do something for us."

Cinder startled. "I've thought...similar things like that about that word." She threw a glance into the back of the van, gesturing with her head. "With _her_. Sorry is just a word..."

"You're sure I can't just kill her for you?" Adam said quietly, eyeing her. A strange note. "She is...the one you spoke about, isn't she? The sister that gave you _those_?" He nodded his head down at her neck.

"I'm sure; she's off limits to you," Cinder said simply.

"Whatever you say. You want to kill her yourself? Alright; I'll grant you that." Adam leaned back in his seat, hands behind his head, putting his feet up on the dash. "Human."

"You know, when you say that word as a part of every single last sentence, it makes you sound like a racist yourself."

"I am _not_. Only humans are the racist ones. Against us."

"Really?"

"Yes, human!"

Cinder smirked. "Thank you for making my point for me; I couldn't have done better."

Adam punched her again.

Cinder took a breath. "I'll allow it - but only because I don't want us crashing and _killing the child I have back there._ "

"Like you're not already trying to kill the boy back there with all of this banging around," Adam snorted. "Or am I wrong? Not that I care," he added swiftly.

"Is it really that difficult to admit you have even a _sliver_ of compassion for a child who's literally done nothing wrong to a single faunus in the world?" Cinder paused. "Who knows? He might grow up to become one of the greatest faunus rights allies on Remnant. Being hateful and contemptuous before anything even happens just makes it a _certainty_ that you'll lose out on an ally, and even a friend. Who wants to support someone like you?"

Adam looked away, then looked her in the eye. "Alright: I wouldn't want to see a little human kid die for absolutely no reason. Does that satisfy you?"

"That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Don't force it out of me, then mock me for it!" Adam said furiously. "This is what I'm saying about you humans! All you do is find a way to be cruel to us!"

Cinder sighed. "Listen, I'm sorry, okay? That was wrong of _me_."

"Tch..." Adam turned away. "You wonder why we don't want to have your kind as _allies_. Or friends."

"I _said_ I'm sorry," Cinder snarled. "Accept the apology!"

"Sorry is just a word," Adam mocked, a great big smile on his face.

"That's _different, you idiot!_ "

"Don't insult me! It doesn't make me want to accept any apologies!"

"I call people what they are: _id_ _iot._ "

"Human."

"Asshole."

"Human!"

Cinder shook her head, scoffing. "Boring - get some new material, please. It's not even insulting."

Adam's lips spread. "Cunt."

Cinder drew another breath, and rammed the van to the right - right up against a passing _other_ van.

"What did I say?!"

"What _did you_ say?" Cinder retorted pointedly.

Adam sat up properly again, crossing his arms. "Heh, I can't recall."

"Of course not - poor boy. Having memory problems..."

"If I am, it's because you're giving me too many hits to the head with this _bullshit_!"

"I wouldn't be if you would stop being such an _asshole_."

"I wouldn't be an asshole if _humans_ could be a little less _cuntish_ toward the entire faunus species!"

"And _there it is,_ " Cinder mimicked, derisive. "It's so convenient for you, isn't it? To keep that hate alive, to just shove it all off onto humans as a whole. No responsibility, no shame, no guilt! You can do anything you want to anyone, and never have to second guess it!"

"Like you don't do the same exact thing, but on a smaller scale - with the kingdom of Atlas."

" _I don't-_ " Cinder froze.

Adam gave a smug smile. "Exactly."

Cinder slammed the van against another car.

" _Fucking hell - stop it!_ "

"Please stop a-arguing up there, we're going to crash!" Amarill begged, _whined_.

"Shut up!" Cinder called back, not even looking.

"If you're worried about crashing, it's already _far_ too late for that," Adam remarked with a snort.

"You shut up too!" Cinder growled.

"Can we just stop, can we take a break-!" Amarill pleaded, terror in her voice.

" _Shut up!_ " Cinder and Adam yelled in unison.

Silence.

Cinder relaxed.

Adam put his feet back up on the dash, letting a breath go.

Loud shrieking echoed around them suddenly.

Cinder glanced out the side mirror - then checked the rear view. _Dammit._ "There's a Griffon coming after us."

"It shouldn't be too hard for you to shake it off," Adam commented gleefully.

"Screw you!" Cinder yelled.

"Not in your dreams, human."

"Grrrrrr! Get out there and make yourself useful to me!"

"Of course - because that's all the faunus can be to humans: useful little pets to give commands to."

"If you want to survive to see Blake again, to _have a chance at getting her to care for you and love you again,_ you'll do it!"

"You think I really care that much? You're just delusional. I don't know _what_ Blake told you about me-"

"Just. Get. Out. Now."

"I'm not going to-"

Sharp, long claws pierced the van's roof, coming down an inch in front of Adam's mask.

"Alright, fine..."

Adam pulled himself out of his seat, grabbed the open window frame, and flipped himself out of the vehicle and up onto the roof.

The claws retracted, and a high shriek was heard.

Pounding boots, grunting noises.

Cinder actually _did try_ to keep her driving steady.

Adam apparently wasn't happy with her efforts, because his voice yelled out from above with, " _What the hell are you doing in there? Trying to throw me off?"_

"I'm _trying_ ," Cinder shouted sincerely.

"Humans always _try_ , but their best is the bare minimum when it comes to-"

" _God,_ give it a rest!" Cinder screamed, slamming her palms on the wheel. "No wonder Blake left you! She probably went insane having to listen to all of your _crap_!"

"I'm going to make you pay for that when I get back in there!"

"Asshole..." Cinder uttered under her breath. She took another corner, and watched out the mirror was the Griffon slid off and slammed into a building. Adam stabbed his sword into the side of the van with a cry of fury. "That was for the Grimm, not you!" she called out, sticking her head out the window to look back at him. She pulled her head back in when he raised his middle finger at her.

A dozen more Griffons came flying in, along with a large Manticore!

Adam flipped himself back up onto the roof with a furious swing.

"Amarill, get up here and drive for me! I'm going outside to help with the Grimm," Cinder decided. "You _do_ know how to drive, don't you?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then do it."

Amarill hurried forward, being flung about the van as she did. She grabbed the back of the seat, slipping into the center.

Cinder lifted her enflamed body up, grasping the window. She took a breath, let it go again. _This isn't going to help my condition at all._ "Drive fast, don't stop, and try not to hit anything," she rattled off.

"Mmmm..." Amarill started, pressing her lips together and glancing at Cinder very...very strangely.

"What?"

Amarill's cheeks were tinged with pink. "N-nothing!" she squeaked out.

"Then stop wasting my time! We're in a life and death situation!" Cinder hauled herself out the window, flipping up onto the roof.

She stabbed her blades into the roof, and put her feet against them; she triggered her Semblance, morphing them into foot holds. She pulled some more Dust off her dress and formed a bow and arrow, and took aim at the nearest Griffon in sight, trailing along behind the van.

"You want to help me out here, too? Or is that too much to ask for a human to do for a faunus?" Adam said snarkily.

Cinder hurled her arrow at his feet, then formed and threw another; she wriggled her fingers, burning them and turning them into secure foot holds for Adam. Crafted a _third_ arrow finally, for herself; she had just wasted so much more Dust because of him!

Adam stared at her. Then he looked away. He began firing his rifle/weapon sheath up at the Griffons.

Cinder hurled fire balls at the same target, concentrating their...well, fire.

One Griffon went down.

Two more flew down for them with claws outstretched.

Cinder struck a wing with an Ice Arrow, sending it tumbling and rolling down the street. The Grimm smashed through a storefront, dead.

Adam blasted the other Grimm with his rifle, then slashed upward as it came close, leaving a trail of flames in the air (he had Fire Dust, then?). He twirled and slammed the rifle's butt against the Grimm's flank in mid air, sending it Cinder's way.

Cinder rammed her fist into the monster, surging her Aura; the Griffon flew off to the right, knocking over a streetlight and crashing down onto a car.

The Manticore opened its mouth wide, and blasted a powerful fireball down for them, while the Griffons ascended in swift retreat.

 _Smart of them,_ Cinder observed. They were going to keep their distance, then. For now.

Adam slashed his blade horizontally in front of him, glowing red and crackling with energy.

A wave blasted outward, taking out four of the pursuing Griffons.

Five more were left. And the Manticore, of course.

Cinder and Adam picked off the last few Griffons from afar, until the last one was dead.

The Manticore blasted several fireballs down at them, pursuing them even more furiously.

When Amarill took a bad turn, killing all of their momentum for a solid three seconds, the Manticore swooped in and rammed its body against the left side of the van, trying to flip it right on over.

Amarill screamed out the window and tried to get them moving again immediately.

She had probably never been so close to a Grimm in her life, Cinder thought. She had probably never even _seen_ a single Grimm until today! Not ones that weren't romanticized statues, anyway...

_I hate those statues!_

Cinder fired a Lava Dust arrow at the Grimm's left wing, point blank. It splattered and began to melt through. Adam swiped his blade vertically in front of himself, glowing with that energy again, and destroyed the other wing.

As Amarill pulled away from the monster, Adam began firing into its face. Cinder hurled glass projectiles precisely into its eyes - and two that flew down its throat.

The Grimm was left on its own, rampaging and roaring, but unable to keep up the chase now.

Amarill sped through several blocks, and they were home free again.

They were also coming close to the edge of the district, at last. Cinder could see a crossing freeway on the horizon, just barely.

She sighed relief. Soon, she would be with Pyrrha again. She'd missed her so much - missed all the ways Pyrrha _made her feel._ It was going to be a real stress reliever in itself, just to be with her. To hold her, to kiss her, to hear her voice...have her guidance in all of this chaos; Pyrrha was always smart, and she always knew just what to do. Cinder needed that right now. She admitted it to herself that she had no goddamn idea what she was doing anymore out here. She had kind of just...there was no control! None at all anymore. No real direction. And she hated that. Hated herself for that. She'd screwed up, Emerald had been lost because of her screwup, and now Blake was gone because of her too, and she was just desperately trying to reach the one who could sort it all out and pick up the pieces - make it _all better for her_!

A small smile came to Cinder's lips as she put her arms over her stomach, falling to her knees atop the vehicle.

Pyrrha would know how to get Blake back, she'd know where to go next, and she'd know how to fix all of this. She always did.

Suddenly, there came a loud whirring noise and steady shaking of the ground, echoing in the silence, whipped about on the wind.

A huge armored monster of a machine came around the corner, a block behind them, and came barreling up the street after them.

"An Atlesian Paladin," Adam spoke, grimacing.

Cinder scoffed. "Of course Atlas only shows up after we've cleaned house with-"

A red laser appeared on the back of the van, and a missile came rocketing toward them, fired by the Paladin.

"What?!" Cinder exclaimed.

"Of course Atlas would do this!" Adam imitated her whole heartedly, angrily.

"They _are_ the worst!" Cinder agreed with a snarl. She flashed up a hand and sent out a blast of ice that intercepted the missile, freezing it over and causing it to drop. It skidded and rolled along the street, and blew up in a brilliant orange ball of flames.

Atlas was the _worst_ , and they were going to pay for it! She had a _fucking child in this vehicle right now! And Atlas wanted to blow it up?!_ Well, it wasn't like they had ever been averse to hurting kids, had they? That was their whole _problem._ But, that they also _wanted to kill huntsmen, the people they were meant to be working with?_ Was this her fault...? Was this punishment for walking out on Auburn Squad? She had no idea how the Atlas military operated, but that seemed about right to her, for them. She screamed, hurling fireball after fireball at the mech. But they had little effect on the powerful machine.

At least Cinder hadn't needed to tell Amarill to gun it: seeing a missile approach had caused the girl to speed up all on her own, right back to maximum.

They had to either lose it, or deal with it, this damn Atlas machine doing its best to murder them all.

Cinder grit her teeth, standing tall, and prepared for battle once more.

She _was not_ going to fail against _Atlas._

If they wanted to bring a fight to _her_ , then she'd oblige them - and she'd _win._

She had _tried, dammit! She had left them be, she hadn't killed a single one of them!_ She had _walked away - she'd walked away, goddammit! What anyone, everyone would have wanted her to do! But here she was! Here **they** were!_

That had been a big mistake, clearly. Her big mistake.

Well, it was one she _would not_ be repeating again today.


	29. Truth Revealed In Eye of Amber

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say hello to the biggest chapter in the story, a nearly 16,000 word grand finale!!! <3 :) :) <3 I hope you enjoy it!

Adam leaped off the van, darting left and twisting in the air to race along the side of a building - the mech fired rapid blue energy blasts at him - he caught the blasts on his blade and jumped off the wall, flying toward the Paladin and evading its next several blasts with ease. He glowed his blade again, crackling with power, and slashed it down through the center of the mech, a great line of red energy emitting from his weapon. It sliced through several feet of thick metal before the blade caught - stopping. The machine sparked and smoked; the Paladin swung a limb up for Adam. He tore his blade free and kicked off, flipping backwards through the air to land back on the roof of the van.

"Nice going - but you didn't kill it," Cinder spoke, genuinely impressed.

Adam sheathed his blade, grinning at her. "But I will." He turned to her, drawing his blade again in an instant, holding it out before himself. "Hit me with that Fire Dust of yours - as much as you have."

Cinder didn't hesitate to raise a hand, and flash out with a great stream of powerful flames; Adam's blade glowed and vibrated, and her flames seemed to almost bend and compress, like they were being absorbed by some force - funneled. She poured about half of her Fire Dust resources into his weapon, before stopping.

Adam swished his blade and sheathed it again, nodding at her. His grin returned briefly. "Now just watch this."

"Well, I'm waiting..." Cinder smirked, gesturing to the pursuing Paladin.

The mech began firing more blue energy blasts at them (which Amarill actually evaded quite skillfully, Cinder was forced to admit; she had good timing at the wheel).

Adam eyed the Paladin a long moment, then he sprang into action.

He leaped high into the air with a burst of Aura, arcing above the rooftops.

The Paladin aimed several turrets upward, firing on him with its energy cannons - but most of them didn't even come close. The back of the mech opened up, and a rack of missiles was revealed. A dozen missiles were fired off in less than a second, soaring for Adam.

Adam stayed on course, stayed straight on his arc even as the missiles came for him - curving and homing right in on him, Cinder realized. He coated his boots in Aura and then, as they converged, he came down on them with his weight and then instantly leaped off again, flipping forward toward the mech. The missiles collided with one another and exploded behind him, his Aura flickering briefly from the great explosion that occurred behind his back. He flew down for the Paladin, hand still waiting on his blade. His body was enveloped in scarlet energy, crackling bolts of power, and then he drew his weapon at last, and gave a mighty yell as he brought it crashing down on the Paladin!

A vertical line of scarlet energy erupted, two dozen feet high, blasting through the mech - and continuing on for several blocks, tearing up the street and casting off bolts to strike at cars and buildings, Burning large holes in them all.

Adam twisted around and leaped off the mech, flying back for the van in a graceful glide.

Behind him, the Paladin fell apart in two charred, perfectly clean halves. And then its Dust ammo cartridges and missile racks all exploded in a mess of blue and orange energy, obliterating it to nothing at all.

Cinder stared. _Well...I wanted someone strong; he's definitely strong! That just means I wasn't wrong to convince him to help me get Blake back. But...it_ does _mean that maybe him and Blake were right when they said I couldn't...No, don't think that way! It was a flashy move, it was strong, but it took extra energy from me to do it! It took a charge! Without that, he's still just a swordsman! A beatable swordsman. One I've beaten! And not because anyone let me win! That's moronic. He has_ one good move _\- so what?_

Adam stepped past her with a smile on his face and disappeared into the interior of the vehicle.

Cinder growled, and swung herself back down into the driver's seat; Amarill shrieked, jerked the wheel hard, and spun out in the middle of the road. "I didn't tell you to stop!" Cinder snapped out, annoyed.

"I can't drive with you in my l-lap..."

"Then move. I'm taking it back."

"Actually," Adam said casually, with a small grin. "I think _that_ human gave us a much smoother ride."

"Adam: shut up - Amarill: _move!_ " Cinder elbowed Amarill in the face, shoved her out of the seat and took her place, sitting tall. She gripped the wheel hard enough to bend the metal, and stomped on the gas pedal.

Adam laughed at her, lounging back in his seat.

Cinder gritted her teeth, saying nothing. _Still so smug over one flashy move...big deal! You were just lucky to be born with that Semblance. But I can be flashy, too! I can burn things to embers; I can burn_ people _to embers! If I use_ my _Semblance to its fullest potential! It's nothing special!_

She was just getting them back on the road again, when the road itself began to tremble.

The windows shook, rubble vibrated, dust was shaken up into the air.

The ground itself seemed to move, violently, rocking the vehicle.

A great roar filled the air, and Cinder looked out the window to see a Wyvern Grimm soaring in toward the city from a distance. She saw the horizon, out that way - but wait, hadn't there always been a mountain over there?

And if it was that large, from this distance...

That meant it had to be massive.

Nowhere near as big as the Whale Grimm, of course - but, still nothing that was going to be easy to take down. For anyone!

A choked noise, a slender hand seizing her arm.

Cinder twisted in her seat and punched Amarill in the face, sending her sprawling in the back of the van. The girl yelped, her hand going to her face; her nose was gushing blood immediately. " _I told you_ _not to touch me,_ " Cinder said angrily.

Amarill gazed at her a long moment, then looked away. "I d-didn't realize there were G-Grimm as big as these ones...that one, the whale one..." she said, in a very quiet voice.

"Well, welcome to the reality of life _not_ in a floating city in the sky," Cinder retorted, straightening in her seat. "The Grimm are big, everyone dies, and the only thing between them and _you_...is _me._ "

Cinder stomped on the gas pedal, more determined than ever now to reach her teammates.

* * *

Kari Silvers flew through the air, high above Vale.

The massive Wyvern Grimm rammed into one of the dead-in-the-water-airships, crashing through the rear of the ship and causing a large explosion. The airship's engines sputtered, and then it began to fall.

The Wyvern continued on, accelerating again until it struck the side of another airship, tearing into it with its large claws from its wing arms. It clung to the airship, climbing over its exterior and ripping it apart as it went. It roared and bit furiously through the bridge, a mess of metal and glass and gore. It leaped off and glided away as this airship fell, too.

Two down, only one left.

But the Wyvern did not go after it - instead, it began to descend on Vale, dropping Grimm sludge and spawning fresh waves of monsters as it went.

 _This Grimm is incredibly intelligent,_ Kari mused. _It knew to attack the engines, and the bridge._

Kari flew straight for the Wyvern, blasting out a stream of flames as she bore down on it.

The Wyvern shrieked, turning its head to gaze at her, glowing red eyes narrowing in on her. It began to turn for her.

Kari began pouring blue fires into its face, gliding backwards as she did.

The Wyvern made a lunge in the air, shaking its head and tanking the flames; it snapped its jaws at her furiously.

Kari darted left, avoiding it almost easily.

The Wyvern swung a wing at her - and Kari flew under it to the other side of its body, also quite effortlessly.

She produced over a hundred icy spears, and hurled them all at the Wyvern's flank. She clenched her fist before her, and they exploded into powerful magical ice, which began to spread and cover half the monster's body - wing included.

The Wyvern fell to one side in the air, beginning to drop.

Kari flew down after it, throwing more spears of ice into its backside.

The Wyvern roared, flexing its powerful muscles and shattering the ice, freeing its wing. It flared its wings and tossed its head back, twisting in the air as they grew closer. Kari swerved around its body, flipping in the air. The Wyvern swung out with a hind leg, and smacked her dead on.

Kari was flung away, her Aura flaring. Surprise bloomed in her. _**Very** intelligent. I won't underestimate you._

Kari turned and blasted off toward the forest, hair and cape fluttering behind her.

The Wyvern pursued her.

Kari did not fly as fast as she could have, nor did she turn and twist in the air as sharply as she could have whenever the Wyvern drew close and made attempt at devouring her.

 _It needs to be lured away from the_ _populace - to where it can't cause further destruction and deaths. I'll battle it alone, and keep all of its attention on me. This Grimm's flexing of wing muscles was strong enough to destroy a mountain, and it caused earthquakes throughout the entire region. It can destroy battleships like toys. It can't be allowed to go anywhere near Vale again. It isn't just highly intelligent, but supremely powerful. Likely very ancient, as well..._

Just as Kari was nearing the edge of the forest, the Wyvern suddenly turned its head, and slowed. She followed its gaze - to Beacon. The Wyvern turned its whole body, and began flying toward Beacon academy. _No you don't._

She raced after it, blasting its rear with a stream of powerful flames, as wide as Beacon Tower itself.

The Wyvern's body hissed with black smoke, and it roared with pain, but it was undeterred.

Kari accelerated in an instant, activating her Semblance and increasing the force of her flames of propulsion simultaneously. She covered her blade in a layer of burning magma and flames, and dragged her blade along the Wyvern's backside as she shot past it. The Wyvern shrieked, but it was, all in all, minimal damage.

Kari flew out several feet ahead before flipping around. She raised a hand and formed a massive war hammer of magma, and then she swung it with all her magical might into the Wyvern's face. On impact, it created a massive explosion of blue fires and concussive force. A shockwave flew out through the sky, dispersing clouds; far below, across the entire city of Vale, windows shattered, loose debris was jarred, and several structurally weak buildings collapsed. The hammer itself shattered into burning pieces of earth, which _fell_ to the earth.

The Wyvern finally _flinched_ from this strike, rearing its head back and stopping its journey. Then it roared at her and swung a wing at her once more.

Kari evaded the swipe, throwing a barrage of icy spears at the Wyvern's eyes - several struck home, on both eyes, before the Wyvern raised a winged limb to cover its face.

Kari twisted around the monster for another angle of attack - and then its long, powerful tail came whipping around to slam into her, knocking her out of the air.

Her Aura flared again.

And the Wyvern continued on its way, straight toward Beacon tower.

Kari chased after it once more, and an idea came to her in that time.

That magical attack Salem had used against her...those multicolored beams, seeking her out like heat seeking missiles...

Kari had magic, too - the Maiden powers and her own were one and the same, were they not?

Which mean...that Kari should be able to do the same attack.

Kari focused, visualizing it in her mind, the attack used against herself before.

Those beams, twisting strands...

She brought her hands before her, and a dark sphere of power appeared. She thrust her hands out, and a blast of multicolored energy flew for the Wyvern.

It struck its hindquarters, and burned a hole through it, causing it to shriek and twist around to look at her.

Kari allowed a light smile to come to her face.

She prepared another blast as the Wyvern whipped around to face her. Growing its power, size and intensity, holding that ball of fiery purple power in hand...and finally releasing it all upon the Wyvern.

Dozens of beams and hundreds of strands flew out, twisting and turning in the air, surrounding the Wyvern, punching through its body, in and out the other side, like worms in an apple. The beams burned bright with all the colors of a rainbow, flashing and shifting, and the Wyvern began to burn on the inside out. All the beams converged, arcing and surging into the Grimm's eyes, down its throat.

Kari spread her arms wide, concentrating...

And there was a massive flash of light, as the Grimm Wyvern exploded into nothing.

Just particles to drift on the air...and fade.

Kari breathed relief, her smile widening.

She had something new to try on all the Grimm in this city, not only the Wyvern.

* * *

Cinder was just emerging from the on-ramp onto the freeway proper, when she saw what occurred in the sky.

The new, massive dragon Grimm had destroyed several airships (good riddance). But it was now heading for Beacon; it had been engaged in combat with a figure of furious blue flames and energies, and impossible acts - a figure that could only be Kari Silvers. For a time, anyway, until a barrage of strange, multicolored energy beams lit up the sky, twisting and turning in the air, flying in and out of the Wyvern's body - piercing it.

Then, there had been a huge explosion of raw energy, a brilliant white light, and the Wyvern was destroyed.

Cinder...felt a strange relief, gazing at the distant, tiny figure in the sky alone now. Maybe Kari never intended it, but in destroying the Wyvern before it got to Beacon, she _had_ saved Bondi's life (stuck on campus as the girl was right now)...

And...Cinder didn't really _want_ to see Kari dead now, as much as she tried to tell herself she did.

 _Dammit, why did that change a thing? Why does it matter that we came from the same place, that we saw each other before? We never talked, I barely talked to_ any _of the other kids, I didn't know her, I wasn't her friend - she wasn't mine! Why does it matter? Why do I feel this way about her?_

Questions for later, Cinder supposed. She'd ask Pyrrha, tell her her feelings, after it was all over today.

Speaking of which - luckily, by following the route Pyrrha had given to her, Cinder was able to find her in a matter of minutes.

As Cinder bore down on Pyrrha (and a bandaged but standing Emerald), her eye took in the smattering of Atlas soldiers surrounding them. Anger roared in her - and _panic._

Cinder sped down the freeway, not slowing in the least. She jerked the wheel and flew around her friends, ramming into the first two soldiers at full speed. She spun out, smacking into the forcefield on the outer edge of the freeway. She shoved the door open and leaped out, aiming her bow instantly and letting loose an explosive one; it struck the ground at the feet of three soldiers, detonating, sending them flying high, to crash down hard onto the unforgiving freeway. She whirled and aimed at another in an instant-

And Pyrrha suddenly flew to intercept it, her shield coming up to block the arrow. It exploded against her shield, flaring her Aura - but she stood firm, taking it.

"W-what the _hell_ are you doing?!" Emerald exclaimed, staring with wide eyes, horror on her face.

Pyrrha's face was lined with shock, with outrage - and with pure _hurt_ as she looked over her shield at Cinder.

"Emerald, Pyrrha - _get away from them!_ " Cinder yelled out quickly, stepping forward and aiming her bow furiously at the remaining soldiers.

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed, then her expression changed, and she hurled her hand-me-down spear at Cinder in an instant; Cinder was so caught off guard that she didn't even move. The spear flew between her legs and pierced her dress, pinning its hem to the ground. Cinder aimed her bow at another little huddle of soldiers - they aimed their rifles at her in return. Pyrrha darted left and planted herself in front of the soldiers, her shield held in front of her. Her hand raised, and her spear flew back into her grasp. " _Everyone, hold fire!_ Cinder, _what is going on!_ " she shouted, her stance firm. "I need you to talk to me - _right now._ Tell me what you're thinking, tell me- _no!_ "

Cinder aimed an arrow and let it go; a nudge of her Semblance sent it curving around Pyrrha - but Pyrrha whirled around, bashing at the arrow in mid air with her shield in a feat of speed and precision Cinder couldn't have imagined from her. The arrow went flipping away through the air, falling off the freeway and exploding in mid air.

" _Damnit, Cinder, stop it_ _right this instant!_ " Pyrrha yelled. "Explain to me...what in the world you think you're doing here! _Now!_ "

Cinder froze. _Did she just cuss...? And at...at me...?_ "I'm trying to save your lives!" she replied quickly. She had to get Pyrrha to understand - before one of those Atlas soldiers could raise a gun to her back and shoot her! "Those Atlesians are going to kill you, they'll _kill you both!_ They already came after _us_! They sent a Paladin after us! I have a half dead civilian _kid_ in there, and _they fired missiles at us!_ "

Pyrrha's face broke with pure _relief_. The strangest reaction Cinder could have ever expected after telling her that Atlas was trying to murder everyone! She put her weapons away and swiftly moved for Cinder. When she reached her, she immediately grabbed her face in hands, pressing close. Pressing a kiss. Looking her in the eye, point blank. "Listen to me, Cinder: it wasn't the military - it's _just_ the machines! We don't know _exactly_ what is happening with the machines, but clearly someone has hacked into them, taken control over them all, and turned them against us. But _it is not_ what you think it is."

Cinder tried to pull away, turn away, but Pyrrha held her firm, forcing her to look straight on. "It's a lie, a cover, they're just-!"

"No! _Cinder. Think:_ Remember Amity? Last night? The way that the forcefields came up again - the way the stage changed to allow Callows to sneak in? The way that the shields stopped Ozpin from going after that transport that got Callows out of there? Someone hacked into Amity Arena, someone working with Callows! That same someone must be the one who's also responsible for why the Atlas air fleet hasn't fired a single shot at the Grimm Whale since this invasion started! And they _also_ must be the one who's done this to the Atlas mechs! A highly skilled cyber operative. They might have even been the one flying that transport. It makes _sense_ , and you _know it does, Cinder!_ I promise you, _this is not Atlas's fault!_ "

"I completely understand how it would look that way - how you of all people would come to that apparently obvious conclusion..." Pyrrha continued, in barely a whisper. "But it's not true. It isn't what it seems. And I realize that you could never trust Atlas on that - not a single person's word on it - but...can I ask you to trust _my word on this?_ Please..."

Those beautiful green eyes blinked at her, stared so intensely...so full of emotion...

"O-okay..." Cinder whispered, nodding. "Okay...I t-trust _you._ "

"All right. Thank you." Pyrrha let her go, stepping away. Waiting, watching.

Cinder let her body relax, her weapon falling to her side.

"They may not have done it deliberately, but make no mistake: they _will_ be held responsible for every last faunus death in this city today," Adam spoke, emerging from the vehicle and striding forward with fists clenched. "It's disgusting negligence on their part, and they don't care who it hurts."

Pyrrha turned hard eyes on him, sweeping him up and down. She strode forward, standing before him. "Adam Taurus of the White Fang, I presume - you do match perfectly with the description my partner gave me."

"You'd be right."

Pyrrha stared into his face - mask - for a long moment before turning away, striding back to Cinder. "I do hope you have a good explanation for _this_ as well, Cinder."

"He's going to help us save Blake - from the one who took her, the one who...is probably working with Callows, too," Cinder explained instantly. "They were partners, too, remember? He wants to help save her. And...I kind of...challenged him to try to be better - like me - and he took me up on it, so...here we are," she finished, in a mumble.

Pyrrha gave a small smile. "I see. That is remarkably compassionate of you, Cinder - but I'm afraid that it...it has a high likelihood of failure."

Adam scoffed at her. "Of course you would think that - as if a faunus could never amount to anything, live up to your standards of-"

"Shut up, Adam," Cinder said absently. She pressed herself to Pyrrha, sliding an arm around her waist. "I don't _fail,_ " she said quietly, fiercely. "I won't. Not even with him."

Pyrrha kissed her again, giving a little head shake and a sigh. "Let's hope you don't, then." She took her hand and walked toward the back of the van. "You said you had an injured civilian with you? A child?" she went on, all business and professional-like (Cinder liked the tone, coming from her).

"Y-yes. A boy. Six or seven, maybe. And...w-well...someone else..." Cinder opened the rear doors, and she gestured inside self evidently.

Pyrrha stared into the cargo bay of the vehicle. She looked at Cinder. "Did you save her life?"

"Yes!" Cinder said pridefully, and entirely honestly. It felt _good._

"She hit me - a few times!" Amarill cried instantly, scrambling out and throwing herself behind Pyrrha.

Cinder glared at her stepsister. "So you _still_ can't resist telling on me, trying to get me into trouble - some things really are _never_ going to change!"

"I think she broke my nose!" Amarill insisted.

Pyrrha sighed, turning away from Cinder to inspect Amarill. After a minute, she stepped away. "It's not broken; you'll be fine." She looked to Cinder, torn between exasperation and disappointment. "I _suppose_ this is a far better outcome than I could have ever expected from you, and we should all be grateful for it. I am... _very, very proud of you_ for saving her life, and protecting her all this time. But, you really should not have hit her, Cinder. Huntresses don't strike the people they're trying to protect - even if they are abusive stepsisters."

"I- I know," Cinder flushed, grabbing her arm and looking away. "I didn't do it all perfectly - I screwed up, here and there! With her, with Emerald..." Cinder's eye found Emerald, and suddenly she found herself racing over to her. She flung herself at the girl and took her into a fierce hug. " _Emerald, I'm sorry - I'm so s-sorry I wasn't good enough, I wasn't a good teammate, or- or a f-friend!_ "

"It's fine!" Emerald said instantly, gasping.

"No, no it's not!" Cinder refuted, squeezing her harder as tears welled up. "You were just trying to _help_ , and I shouldn't have been so rude to you about it, I- you shouldn't have had to put up with me, but you still stuck by me and I...thank you! I couldn't have even gotten half as far as I did without you! Hell, I couldn't have even gotten into Beacon without you - remember? You're my _friend,_ and friends should treat each other _better!_ I haven't been, today, I- I'm sorry for that! I like you, I love you, I _appreciate you_ , I really do! If you had _died_ and I never got to tell you, never got to say it...but I'm saying it now!"

"I believe you - please don't kill me to prove it; I'm hurt too, you know!"

Cinder immediately released her, backing away in horror. Her eye found the bandages on the girl's waist. "I'm _sorry!_ " Why did she always fail at things? Even trying to apologize?

"It's f-fine, really - forget it!" Emerald winced, pressing her hand to her bandages. She gave a big smile to Cinder, waved a hand. "Invisible stabbing knives in my body aside, thanks for saying all of that. That just means you _are_ a great friend! And I mean, hey, you went through a lot last night - you... _lost_ a lot last night; I think you earned the right to be more than a little bitchy, after that!"

"I _was_ bitchy," Cinder agreed, swallowing. "I was really bitchy. And I'm so sorry."

"Forget it now," Emerald insisted. "We need to get Blake back, remember?"

Cinder frowned. She looked to Pyrrha, who was inspecting the boy now inside the vehicle; Pyrrha gave her a brief nod before returning to her work (a soldier came forward and handed her a medical kit at her polite request). "Okay," she said simply. "Where-"

"Which direction did you see this man of yours take Blake?" Adam spoke up, striding forward.

"So you _do_ really care for her," Cinder remarked idly.

"I don't," Adam scoffed. "I'm just trying to move things along, because the human teenage girls think they can stand around and have a bonding session in the middle of a Grimm invasion while their own teammate is missing."

"Sure," Cinder replied, smirking. "If that's what you want to tell yourself..."

Adam shook his head at her, turning away with a noise of exasperation. "Immature child..."

Emerald turned, pointing off the side of the freeway. Out toward the water, the bay separating vast portions of the city. "He went that way - jumped off the side of the freeway with Blake, and got away in an airship that was waiting for him down below. It flew off in _that_ direction."

"That's the direction of the Industrial District," Pyrrha informed Cinder, with a glance. "There would be plenty of places to hide there - all of those factories, warehouses, and garages. It is sensible in another way as well - the last reports we heard said that the Grimm weren't very widespread, over there."

"That makes sense," Cinder said. There weren't a lot of people in that district, compared with the residential, or the commercial districts. The Grimm wouldn't be nearly as drawn to it as the other parts of the city. They would have to cross a long bridge to get across the bay, to reach that district.

Pyrrha, apparently satisfied with her work on the boy, emerged from the vehicle. She gave a nod to the soldiers, spoke a brief word of, "Look after him for us, if you would - call in a medical transport, please; I know response times might not be the quickest at the moment, but, all the same..."

"Yes, ma'am!" A soldier nodded back, very respectfully, and promptly set about the task of relocating the child out onto the ground.

Pyrrha's gaze fell on Amarill. "Look after her, as well."

"Wait a minute, I'm not s-staying out here with only these guys to protect me!" Amarill cried.

"They're Atlas's finest-" Pyrrha began, patient.

"Like that means anything..." Cinder snorted.

"-finest soldiers," Pyrrha finished, with a quick look of admonishment. "They're fully capable of-"

"Not as capable as Cinder!" Amarill exclaimed, pointing frantically. "As any huntress!" she added swiftly, her cheeks pink. "I'm staying with her - all of you!"

Cinder stared. "You...actually want to be be around me still?"

"You're j-just - the best person around to keep me safe, that's all! And you said it yourself: you said I'm your mission. It's not over yet, is it?"

"Well, _I am_ one of the most skilled huntresses around, yes...and you're right - I'm not done with my mission until this is all over," Cinder admitted, preening. "You're staying with me," she decided, stalking forward to grab the girl's arm. "Get back in there."

Amarill obeyed instantly - and quite happily.

Pyrrha blinked at Cinder. Then, she smiled. "That's very admirable - honorable, Cinder. But, you still didn't need to grab her like that..." she added in a murmur.

"I'm a work in progress," Cinder said, defensive.

"And you _are_ progressing," Pyrrha acknowledged kindly. She eyed Cinder up and down, frowning. "How are you feeling? Emerald told me you've been having quite a lot of difficulties with your body - you shouldn't be pushing yourself past your limits like that."

"I can't exactly help it," Cinder replied. "Vale needs me!"

"It does - but if you die, it will lose you."

"F-fine - I'll take a rest back there while someone _else_ can drive us to the industrial district," Cinder murmured, flushed, gesturing into the van. "How's that?"

"That's perfectly fine," Pyrrha accepted. "It's the smart thing to do, in fact; let your Aura do some more healing of the things that you've...probably re-injured in there. And I'll do the driving - everyone, please get in."

Pyrrha took the driver's seat, while Adam resumed his place in the passenger seat. Pyrrha was very tensed, while Adam was very relaxed.

Emerald and Cinder joined Amarill in the cargo bay, closing the rear doors firmly.

Emerald sat with her legs crossed. She looked to Cinder, patting at her lap. "You can come lay here with me...if...you know...you wanted to..." she trailed off, blushing.

Cinder eyed her. She smiled. "Sure." She crawled painfully over to the girl and lay down, laying her head in her lap. "Thanks..." she added quietly.

Emerald started stroking at her hair, sighing happily. "You're welcome!"

"Is everyone ready to go?" Pyrrha asked, glancing back at them.

"We're ready," Cinder replied.

"Alright. Then here we go," Pyrrha said lightly, starting them off down the freeway, in the direction of the nearest, long bridge across the waters.

Along the way through the city, across the water and a very long bridge, Cinder got a solid, admittedly nice half an hour of rest and recovery with her Aura.

Pyrrha wasn't going full speed all the time, and they were also simply taking a lot of time to drive around the district in hopes of locating a stolen transport ship - and so, Blake.

Block by block, circling and going between factories and warehouses, up and down the alleys of grime and smoke.

They did come across _some_ Grimm, and even some Atlas mechs (supposedly hacked, Cinder reminded herself firmly), which they all fought through practically without even needing to stop and get out of the vehicle; they opened up the rear doors, and Emerald fired her guns out the back, while Cinder blasted out with Dust magic, catching Grimm with fireballs to the face and ice around their feet to trip them up. Though, most of the monsters and robots they just plain avoided, speeding right on past them and not even bothering to engage at all.

Until...after forty-five minutes, they came around a corner, and came across some robots and monsters surrounding a very familiar figure to Cinder.

"Stop!" Cinder yelled.

Pyrrha was already on it; she brought them to a drifting halt, bashing two robots against a building with the rear of the vehicle.

Cinder sprang out of the back, aiming her bow immediately. Emerald began firing her guns, right beside her.

Pyrrha got out and joined the fight.

Adam remained seated in the front of the vehicle, hands behind his head.

In a matter of seconds, scattered robotic limbs and heads littered the ground, and Grimm bodies wafted black smoke and began to turn to nothing.

"Cinder," Rhodes huffed, smiling at her and putting his weapons away. "Thanks for the assistance. But...what exactly are you and your teammates doing out here?"

"What are _you_ doing out here?" Cinder retorted.

Rhodes gave a glance around, gesturing. His smile had vanished.

Cinder took in the bodies. Atlas troops, and a few civilians in uniforms with nametags. She eyed the factory building. Workers? Dead workers, now...

"Oh." She shifted awkwardly on her feet. "Well, we're out here trying to find Blake. She was kidnapped by someone we think is working with Tyrian Callows. They came in this direction in a stolen airship, so we-"

The sound of a door opening - snapping shut. Boots crunching.

Adam came around the front of the vehicle, walking with casual strides.

Rhodes' gaze landed on Adam. His eyes narrowed, and then he whipped out his weapons and lunged in an instant, bursting with Aura!

Cinder acted in a heartbeat, materializing twin blades of glass and dashing to intercept - it was almost easy, she realized, surprised when she made it there in good time. She caught Rhodes' maces on her swords, pushing him back. Even injured, even with that healing session in the van...should it have really been this easy? Was she _really_ just that good, that much better? Well...of course she was!

Emerald started forward. "Cinder-!"

Pyrrha grabbed her shoulder, yanking her back. "Wait."

"But what if she-" Emerald began, wide eyed.

"We'll step in if we need to," Pyrrha said quietly. "But let her do this - trust her. Besides...I have a feeling she _needs_ to do this."

Emerald nodded, retreating, and refraining.

"Cinder, get out of the way," Rhodes said, grunting with exertion. "That's Adam Taurus, he's White Fang - very high-"

"High ranking, I know," Cinder interrupted, pushing harder. Digging her feet in. "I know who he is! But he's not here to hurt anyone - he's here to save people."

"He's a murderer, a dozen times over, merciless and cruel. You need to get away from him, and get out of my way."

"There's a chance...he can _change_ ," Cinder gritted, hair falling over her face as she shoved out at Rhodes. "And you just want to - what - kill him?"

"If I have to. But I'd rather bring him in alive, to face justice. Move, Cinder."

"If he's _here_ , why not put him to use?" Cinder retorted, shaking her head. "We need every fighter we can get against all of this! Do you _see all of this?_ "

"He's only going to kill you - stab you in the back when your guard is down. That's what he does, it's all he does."

"Maybe," Cinder agreed. "But I think it doesn't _have_ to be _all he does_. So I'm giving him one chance. If he fails it, I'll cut his head off myself, trust me on that!"

"No, Cinder. You don't give chances to people like-"

"Like me?"

Rhodes blinked. "What?"

"You gave _me_ a chance! From the first day we even met, you knew what I wanted to do, you knew why I took that sword..." Cinder said, voice cracking. "And you took a chance with me. You helped me. So why not help _him_?"

"Cinder, that was very different! You were a child; he's an adult!"

"If I _had_ gone through with it, what would you have even done?" Cinder asked, breathing harshly. "Just taken out your weapons and come at me like this, too? Not even a word, no trying to talk to me? To understand me?"

"Yes! It would have been murder, three times over, Cinder! What would you want me to do? Let you run off after that?"

"Even me? Even a kid?"

"You would have been dangerous! To anyone who crossed your path! So yes, even a kid, Cinder...but all this hypothetical talk is besides the point. The point-"

"The _point_ , is that you're going to back off and calm down - or I'm going to put you on your ass and _make you_!" Cinder snarled. "I was beating you before, you think I can't beat you even easier _now_?"

"Cinder, you're wasting your feelings on that man."

"Really? Because all I've _ever_ heard from anyone in life is that I need to _feel more for people!_ I'm finally _trying_ , and now people want to tell me to _stop?!_ " Cinder laughed, an ugly laugh. "Make up your minds, please, everybody! Am I meant to be compassionate and kind, or am I supposed to pull my weapons on people and try to cut them down first thing?!"

"For some people, you're one way, and for others, you're another."

"And it's all _my choice, isn't it?_ Well, this is my choice! You just have to deal with it!"

"I will deal with it...if you make me."

"Or, you could just _stand down_. It's the end of the world and you want to be choosy about who kills the Grimm tearing into civilians _right now!_ I never thought _you_ were one of those countless idiots I have to put up with!"

"Cinder...Move. Final warning."

" _Idiot_ ," Cinder hissed. "Wrong choice." She shoved out at Rhodes, and they began exchanging blows. "Just like it was the wrong choice to put me through seven years of more _hell_ and _torture_! While we're airing things out here, let me tell you that I _hate you_ for not just taking me away from there! Every time I cried, begged you, right into your chest, and you _never did it!_ I was _ten_ , I was a child, and _you left me there!_ You let it go on!"

"You think I don't hate myself for it just as much, every day? But it would have turned out worse if I'd tried to! And look where you are now because of my decision!"

"I could have ended up here just the same if you'd taken me out of there!" Cinder refuted furiously, kicking out at him and lunging, twirling her blades in a flurry. "You could have trained me still, but you also could have given me a _real home!_ A normal one! A little house, a bed, no more terrors or worries! No fear, no _pain_! _Food!_ But _you didn't, you n-never did, and I hate you for that, do you hear me?!_ "

"I h-hear you, I know; and I'm sorry, Cinder. All right?"

"The number of times I almost broke, and even then, you never just took me up in your arms and took me away from there! Just gave me a head pat and walked away yourself! Was it all just easier that way, too inconvenient than to actually do something real to help the little girl being abused and tortured daily? Being starved?! Did you tell yourself it was okay because at least you were training me, at least you saw me once a day! Is that how you slept at night, in some nice comfy bed every night you were away from me?!"

"If I had, we would have been running our whole lives! You know that by now! You know that it would have been-"

Cinder slashed Rhodes across the leg, ducking under his mace and twirling behind him, kicking him in the back. Tears fell down her face now, her lips trembling. He spun around to face her, and she rushed at him again without hesitating. " _Anything would have been better than leaving me there!_ That's it, there's nothing else! You were just too much of a fucking coward, and a conformist, and an Atlesian yourself to do anything with those balls you have! You know why you're proud of me for all that I've done?! Because I'm doing better than you ever did, than you ever would! Because I'm better than you, and you can feel _so good about yourself for that_ , for me, like you really _did anything for me_! Like you played any real part in it besides teaching me how to use these swords! You're not happy for me, you're happy for me because it lets you keep _sleeping_ \- lets you justify it to yourself as all being fine, that it all worked out okay in the end! Never mind everything inside me that's still _so fucking wrong,_ that terrifies my friends when they see it, when they realize just how wrong I still am! My head is fucked up, and I- and I-"

"Cinder-"

Cinder let out a scream and clashed her blades to his maces and locked in with him again, her face twisting, tears streaming in earnest now. "My h-head... _is so fucked up,_ " she whispered thickly. "and the p-people I love are _so afraid of me_...and _I_ _hate that._ I h-hate _that_ , I hate how they all l-look at me - _I don't want them to anymore! -_ and I h-hate that the w-worst thing stopping me f-from being a good h-huntress is- _is me!_ And I just _hate_... _I just hate_ _m-myself!_ " she burst out, sobbing.

"Cinder...just put your weapons down, please."

"And I hate _y-you_ more than anyone! More than my mother, than my stepsisters - than Amarill, right there! I hate _you_ because I could have been _a lot less fucked up_ if you'd just run away with me when I was ten years old!"

"Cinder, please-"

" _Too late for that!"_ Cinder laughed, manic, and roundhouse kicked Rhodes in the face, parting her gown's leg slit. She leapt at him, slashing him across the chest twice, thrust her blade for his throat - it slid along his neck, flaring his Aura hard. "Your choice, your live-with-yourself decision?! This is what it's made, _this_ is what you've ended up with! Now you have to deal with it! What if I lose it and kill you?! What if I kill my sister over there?! Or Adam?! What if I shove this burning blade down your fucking throat?! What if I go off and cut down every last person I see?! That's what you're afraid of, isn't it? Well, you didn't even avoid that with the choice you made for me! Because I could do it, I might do it, who's to say?! I'm _so fucked up_ , and it's _your fault!_ Are you still _proud_ , are you still _happy_? _Come on, tell me!_ Tell me how proud you are of me, tell how far I've come - _no thanks to you_! You didn't sacrifice a thing, not _comfort_ , not _freedom_ , _not for me!_ You did the _bare minimum_ that any human could possibly do for an abused ten year old girl and called it a day! Over... _and over...and over again_!"

Cinder shattered his Aura with furious slices, flipped him over and slammed her heel down on his chest. She shoved the point of her blade in his face. Heaving chest, clenched throat. Tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Go on..." she said, breathless. "Tell me again how _proud of me you are_. Tell me what you even _did for me._ "

"C-Cinder-"

Cinder kicked him in the jaw, stomped on his chest harder. " _What did you even do for me?! Tell me!_ Did you t-teach me how to _write well, how to read well?_ Did you teach me how to make f-friends? How to _love?_ Did you teach me how to put on a dress, how to _walk in heels?_ Did you teach me how to dance - _or swim?_ Did you teach me how to _stop being so anxious and scared inside?_ How to laugh and have fun? Did you teach me about romance, or even about sex? Did you teach me how to _care? About my friends, about their problems, their lives, not just mine? Because I care about them?!_ Did you teach me what it even really _meant_ to be a huntress, what it meant to save people, to protect them, no matter what I feel about it? Them? Did you teach me how to do that, even for people like my _stepsister_?"

"What have you even done for me in just the last, oh, _two days?_ " Cinder ranted on, _raving._ "Were you there when I woke up last night, on drugs, with _one of my eyes missing?_ With _all my reproductive organs missing?!_ Were you right there to hold my hand, to hug me, to tell me it was going to be okay?! To _support me when I needed it most?! You..._ you are the closest thing I've ever had to a father, and you just... _have failed so spectacularly at it._ "

Rhodes' eyes went wide. He shook his head at her, falling back onto the street, his arms going limp. His weapons rolled away. A tear fell. "Cinder...the only thing I ever set out to do for you...was to train you," he said hoarsely. "I never set out to be anyone's father. I wasn't trying to be yours. If that's...what you thought I was all this time-"

"That's what I _needed_ all this time!" Cinder shrieked, bringing her blade back, high, her arm shaking. "It's what I _deserved_ all this time, it's- it's-" She lowered her arm, holding her blade limply at her side. Her whole body sagged, her chin met her chest, and she cried to herself all the more. She stepped away, off of him, and turned away.

"You're right..." Rhodes' voice, very quiet, behind her. "I'm an idiot. And I'm a coward. And I was wrong. So wrong. The worst kind of wrong. I should have done so much more for you...I should've just...had the guts to take you out of that place. And I never did - you're right. And because of that...you were hurt, and you're still hurting. You're...damaged. And I can never go back and change it for you now. But, if I could...I swear I would. I'd do it all different. That first day we met...I'd take you away with me this time. If you never want to forgive me for it, that's fine. You'd be right not to."

"I almost believe that," Cinder choked, laughing.

"Cinder-"

Cinder whipped around, stalking up to Rhodes. She lifted him into the air, burying her fists in his collar. She turned and slammed him against the building. "It doesn't _matter_. None of it even _matters right now._ What matters is what huntsmen are supposed to do: protect people. Save lives - like my friend's! Like Blake's! No matter what, by any means! Can you focus on that, or are you going to keep flailing around like a toddler trying to actually take down _Adam Taurus?_ Because I can knock you on your ass a second time, if I have to - it won't be a problem for me, _trust me_!"

Rhodes let his head drop. "I'll go along with what you want here. But it's a mistake, Cinder."

"I don't think you're really the right person to judge whether something is a mistake or not, are you?" Cinder said sweetly.

Rhodes reared back like she had punched him. "Maybe I'm not..."

Cinder let him go, stepping away. "You don't have Aura, so try not to die before it recharges. I'll save you if I can, but no promises; I have my hands full with my sister's idiotic life. Adam - let's get going."

Adam gave a simple nod. But what little Cinder could see of his face, for a brief moment...it had almost looked...

Adam turned and strode away for the van.

Cinder joined him, falling into step. Cinder climbed into the back of the vehicle, and looked to her stepsister. "Did you get hurt at all?"

Amarill looked at her in surprise. "N-no..."

"Good." Cinder turned away.

Good huntresses _cared._ Good _people_ cared.

And Cinder was now more determined than ever to be one - or, at least, to be a damn better one than _Rhodes._ Both a huntress, and a person.

She thought...that it wouldn't be that hard.

Or, rather...it _shouldn't be._

* * *

The motley crew, now joined by Rhodes, continued their exploration of the district.

Nobody said much, nobody did much.

Rhodes tried to catch Cinder's eye a few times - she ignored him, turning her chin up at him. He would sigh and duck his head.

Eventually, they drove into a large, open concrete lot surrounded by factory buildings - enclosed, hidden.

And it was here that they found what they were looking for.

A Vale airship, parked, idling.

And out in front of it, two figures stood together - with a third, bound and laid on the ground in front of them.

Blake!

Her weapons lay beside her, shattered into pieces.

Cinder recognized one of the figures as Tyrian Callows.

The other, though...she had no clue. He was a huge man, with muscles and dark brown hair, wearing a green coat and black pants and tunic.

"That's definitely the one who took her," Pyrrha said quietly. Apprehension in her voice. "He's very powerful, very strong. Beyond anything I've ever seen before."

"With all of us together, I'm sure we can bring him down," Cinder replied fiercely.

"I...wouldn't be too certain," Pyrrha responded, shaking her head. "We aren't here to defeat them, regardless - we're here to get Blake away from them."

"Right," Cinder agreed quickly. "I know that!"

Pyrrha nodded, giving a smile. "I know you know that."

"So, do we have a plan at all?" Emerald asked. "Plans are pretty useful..."

"We don't have time for an in depth discussion," Pyrrha spoke, nodding out the windshield to the obvious: both of the men had noticed their arrival, and were stepping out in front of Blake. Toward the vehicle. "Everyone needs to just act as quickly as possible to reach Blake - distract those two, clear a path, and get Blake. Get her out of here safely. That's all that matters." She looked to Amarill. "I'll need you to take the driver's seat once I leave it - be prepared to floor it, please."

Amarill gave a shaky nod. "Alright..."

"All right," Pyrrha breathed. "Everyone, let's go. Emerald, if you could remain here and give us some helpful illusions?"

"Got it." Emerald leaned forward to gaze out the windshield, focusing in on the two men out in front of them.

Cinder gave Rhodes a single nod, and then she kicked the rear doors open and leaped out, with him right behind her.

Pyrrha burst out of the driver's side, sweeping an arm and clenching a fist; the driver's side door tore itself off and hurled itself across the distance like a frisbee, right for the large man in the green coat.

Adam blitzed across the distance, faster than any of them, slashing his blade out with red energy. A wall of scarlet surged forth, striking Tyrian and sending him flipping back, his Aura flaring briefly.

Cinder raised her hand as she ran, sending out blasts of ice toward Tyrian, freezing his legs instantly. She followed it up with a quick fireball, which hit him in the chest and sent him falling backwards to the ground.

Pyrrha burst with Aura, lunging at the large man and driving her shield into his stomach with her entire body; he crossed his arms, catching her, barely budging an inch.

Rhodes began firing Dust rounds from his weapons at the large man, coming in close and then swinging his mace at the man - his opponent raised his arm and caught it, then shoved out to send Rhodes stumbling with raw strength.

Adam scooped Blake up into his arms and raced back for the van, uncaring for any of them (of course).

Blake, who had wide eyes and a dropped jaw, and slightly shaking shoulders. But she was still bound, so she couldn't do much of anything, could she?

Everyone retreated back toward their escape vehicle, firing potshots and Dust blasts at Tyrian and the large man as they went.

Tyrian raced after them, freeing his legs from Cinder's ice with a yell of fury. He raised his arms, upon which it looked like he had obtained new weapons - gauntlet blades, similar to his old ones.

The large man pulled Dust crystals from his belt, and then stabbed them into his bare arms. Red lightning raced up his arms, and his arms were swathed in burning flames. He roared and thrust his fists out, and a massive fireball emerged, soaring over all their heads to strike the vehicle near the front.

The paint peeled, the wheel burned away, and the concussive force shattered the windshield and blew apart the hood.

Smoke wafted from the exposed engine parts.

_Well...now I guess there isn't any choice but to fight._

Cinder raced to the back, reaching in to haul Amarill out. She shoved her toward the exit of the factory courtyard. "Go hide somewhere!"

Pyrrha skidded to a halt and whipped around, clenching both her fists and gritting her teeth. Energy rippled off her, black waves of power, visible in its intensity...Then she gave a mighty yell and she threw her arms up.

The van launched into the air, flipping over and crashing down a dozen feet from where it last was - nearly crushing Tyrian and the large man in the process. Tyrian leaped back quickly, while the large man simply...raised his own arms and stood there. The van skidded several feet, and a great crashing noise was heard as it stopped dead.

The large man came striding around it, brushing himself off; Tyrian leaped up clear over it, coming down with high laughter, an excited look in his eyes that glowed purple.

Tyrian flew forward, dashing past them all, coming up right behind Adam in an instant. He slashed his blade gauntlets across Adam's backside, flaring his Aura. Adam whipped around and lashed out with a kick; Tyrian avoided it, retaliating with a surge of his tail.

Cinder sent a blast of ice his way, forcing Tyrian to break off his attack to get out of the way of it.

The large man was firing powerful blasts of fire at Rhodes and Pyrrha as they fought and leaped around him. Suddenly he grabbed Rhodes by the throat, then hurled him clear across the courtyard to slam into a brick wall - which _shattered_. Rhodes' Aura flared brightly as he crashed through the wall, and was swathed in dust on the inside of a factory building. Broken bricks fell down over the hole.

Emerald abandoned using her Semblance, and joined Cinder in warding Tyrian off away from Blake, swinging her sickles and casting out her chains in furious dance.

Tyrian twisted around her chains, ducked under them, and got in close and slashed Emerald in the chest with a quick blitz, then kicked her in the face to send her rolling away. He whirled around on Cinder, slashing madly; Cinder blocked, redirected, furious and desperate. He was _worse_ than he had been in the arena, when he had only been using hand to hand combat moves! With his weapons...he was something else!

Tyrian darted around Cinder, slashed her in the back, leaped over her head and wrapped his tail around her throat, coming down in front of her and slamming her face-first into the concrete, cracking it and flaring her Aura. He jerked her up into the air and drove a fist into her stomach, blades shrieking against her Aura. Something shifted in the gauntlets, and then rapid fire bullets began splattering point blank into Cinder's belly.

A scarlet wall of energy suddenly came in from the side, hitting Tyrian and taking him away - forcing him to let Cinder go.

Cinder dropped, and turned to Adam. She gave a nod; he gave her a simple nod back, weapon at his side.

The large man grabbed Pyrrha as she flipped over him, stopping her in her tracks and bringing her crashing down to the ground again, flat on her back. He made to stomp her with a huge boot, but she kicked off his leg and skidded away from him, turning it into a backwards roll and an effortless jump up to her feet again.

Tyrian hurled Cinder away from him, then ran at Adam once again.

Adam deflected and dodged, but he was hindered by having Blake over a shoulder.

Cinder ran to help him, but a blast of electricity struck her in the backside, surging through her body and bringing her to her knees.

 _"Say it!_ _"_

Cinder heaved a breath, grasping for her throat.

"What are you _doing_? Get up!" Adam's voice, furious, frustrated.

Cinder pushed herself off the ground - and another blast hit her, bringing her down once more as a scream was ripped from her throat. _Remember your place, say it say it say it..._

_I won't say it!_

Cinder jumped up and whirled around.

Another blast of lightning came streaking toward her - the large man had injected Lightning Dust into his arms, in addition to the Fire.

Cinder dodged it, racing at him. She leaped over a third blast, twisted around a fourth, and reached him. She lunged past him, slashing her blade across his ribs. His Aura shimmered, taking the hit. She whipped back and slashed four times rapidly, then leaped onto his back and wrapped an arm around his throat, bringing her blade slicing across his face! She jammed it against the side of his head, slashing and stabbing, screaming.

The man reached back for her, grabbed her shoulder and pulled her off, throwing her toward a furiously approaching Pyrrha; Pyrrha caught her, but they both fell over together.

Rhodes had recovered, and he started for Cinder.

"No!" Cinder yelled, pointing away. "Go help Emerald - Blake - Adam!"

Rhodes nodded, and turned to obey without a word, going to engage with Tyrian.

Cinder and Pyrrha fought with the large man, but it was exhausting, and Cinder barely felt like they were even doing anything - was this man _ever_ going to just _go down?!_

The man eventually got in a hard punch on Pyrrha, sending her flying into the air, her Aura broken. She came back down, and he was waiting to catch her on his fist; she had no air to even scream with. He let her fall at his feet, then he kicked her in the head, knocking her out completely.

Cinder growled, throwing herself at him with blades slashing furiously. She thrust out a hand into his stomach, exploding with Wind Dust, sending him skidding backwards and nearly tumbling over. She lunged again, slashing and evading further, ducking and weaving. She flashed her hand up inside his guard, blasting up across his face with powerful flames of hers. He punched her across the face, sending her spinning twice around. Cinder leaped away after recovering, did two back flips, and then went at him _again._ She blasted his feet with ice, but it only stopped him for a few moments; he broke out of it with sheer strength, and brought his boot crashing up into her stomach, flipping her back through the air completely.

She hit hard, scrambled up - a knee struck her face, knocking her back again.

She leaped back to get some distance.

He blasted at her with more lightning; she danced left and right, avoiding it all.

There was a sudden cry, a scream - and Cinder's head whipped around toward the source of it.

Emerald was on the ground, gasping for air, bloody and bruised - her Aura was gone already? Adam had set Blake down, was standing in front of her with an arm out, keeping her behind him. Adam's mask was gone from his face - it was on the ground a few feet away. When had it been knocked off, how had it been...?

Rhodes was standing alone with his weapons at his sides, his Aura drifting off him in particles of purple, and Tyrian was driving his blades into his chest.

Tyrian sank them in, inch after inch, then tore them free with a feral snarl. And then he gave an exulted, wheezing laugh, watching Rhodes collapse onto the ground.

Cinder received a sudden, powerful blow to the back of her head, sending her sprawling forward and rolling across the concrete. Her Aura flared strongly, and sputtered...and then it broke.

Blake flew at Tyrian with a shadow clone, dodging and weaving, leaping all about the man, punching and kicking despite Adam's furious, panicked protests.

Tyrian blocked Blake in mid air, grabbed her bodily, and slammed her down to the ground hard enough to leave a crater in the concrete beneath her. Her Aura shattered on impact, powerful and singular. He held her there, and then his tail shot forth under an arm, impaling Blake through the stomach, sinking in several inches deep. He lifted her up before himself, his face split by a wide grin, his eyes glinting purple. And then his tail swished about, and Blake was tossed aside like a toy, splayed on the ground.

Heaving, clutching her stomach, dirty and bloody.

Cinder stared at Blake now, lips parted, body trembling.

Adam's jaw had dropped, and the good eye he had was wide open with shock, and with horror as he too, gazed at Blake's still form.

Cinder looked at Adam. Adam looked at Cinder.

"Heh...looks like you were right after all," Adam said, his voice _choked_ , a feeble imitation of a grin forming on his lips before vanishing.

Cinder gripped her twin blades and jumped to her feet, Adam whipped his out of its sheath, and they ran at Tyrian together from opposite angles.

Cinder slashed and twirled, blocking and redirecting that powerful tail, those slashing arm blades! She stabbed and growled and grunted with exertion, her body pouring sweat.

Adam slashing furiously for Tyrian from the back, forcing the man to fight on two fronts.

But the man didn't seem to have any trouble with it: he whirled and used his tail to block Adam's strikes, even as he dodged around Cinder's. He had that grin on his face, and he let out a high cackle, like he was having the time of his life!

"Energy - now - _everything you have_!" Adam yelled, flipping backwards through the air and skidding back across the ground, stabbing his blade into the ground to stop his own movement. He whipped his blade up out and held it before himself horizontally, partially in its sheath.

Cinder didn't hesitate, whirling on Adam and blasting out an intense, narrow stream of flames, compressed power, her Dust crystals shrinking and losing their glow by the second.

Tyrian came for Cinder, laughing high, and she was forced to break off her flames and roll away, coming up blocking and backpedaling.

Adam's blade glowed scarlet, and he whipped it out of his sheath and ran for Tyrian. He blitzed forward in a dash of Aura, closing the gap in a second, and gave his blade an almighty slash across himself!

Tyrian whirled around, his eyes wide.

Cinder lunged for the man and grappled him from behind, arms under his, in a move of utter stupidity and desperation.

A huge wave of red energy exploded out of Adam's blade, slamming into Tyrian's whole front.

Cinder was struck by the washing wave of energy as well, the flesh of her arms burning. The sheer force of the blow sent both her and Tyrian flying backwards, slamming through the brick wall of a factory, rolling and separating on dusty floor of debris and blood.

Cinder pushed herself up and leapt up again, gripping her blades tight in hands as her eyes went to Tyrian.

Tyrian was already up, shaking his head like a dog and smacking a hand to his face. He set his gaze on her, a fierce grin there. "Well, the bull packs quite a punch, doesn't he? Too bad it wasn't enough to do much more than send us both for a little-"

Adam lunged onto the scene through the broken wall, slashing and slicing for Tyrian once more!

Cinder joined in, leaping at Tyrian from the right.

They fought on, the battle growing more desperate and intense, taking them back outside the building again, into open courtyard.

Tyrian kicked Cinder hard in the stomach, sending her flying with a burst of Aura. Cinder rolled and choked, clutching her body as she lay on her side. Tyrian seized Adam's arm with his tail, wrapped around his wrist, and tugged him off balance and punched him in the face, the blades shearing across his Aura fiercely. He twisted Adam around and slammed him into the ground, shattering concrete with that power of his again. Adam's Aura flared significantly, and then it shattered too.

Cinder forced herself to her feet and lunged at Tyrian, slashing with everything she had, desperate just to drive him way from Adam now!

Tyrian backed up and weaved, getting in vicious strikes on Cinder almost at leisure now. Until he finally gave her a swift slash across the chest, and kicked her away again like an irritatingly rabid dog. A little dog that couldn't do much of a thing.

Tyrian stalked over to her, and stood over her with his tail primed, ready to surge forth and impale her, too...like Blake...

"H-HEY - FREAKSHOW!" A scream, pattering footfalls, and then Amarill was throwing herself at Tyrian with a fist raised.

Tyrian turned almost absently, gave a lazy flick of his tail, and smacked Amarill in the back of her head, sending her to the ground with a hard crash. Amarill flipped herself over and tried to rise again, but Tyrian's stinger was already pressed to the underside of her chin, forcing her head back. "What an irritating little _gnat_ , wouldn't you say? No Aura, no Semblance, no ability to fight whatsoever...and still she tries to attack _me_? You're either stupid, or out of your mind if you think you can even last half a second against me, girl..."

"Idiot," Cinder agreed, shooting a glare Amarill's way (but maybe it wasn't as powerful as it could have been, what with the shock coursing through her system at her stepsister's actions). "What were you even hoping to _do_?"

"S-something kind for you - f-for once," Amarill whimpered out, despite the stinger digging under her jaw.

"Well, try choosing something a little more _doable_ next time, okay?" Cinder retorted, shaking her head.

Tyrian laughed shrilly. "As if there's going to be a next time!"

Hazel came striding past Cinder, for Tyrian and Amarill. "No one is going to die today-"

Suddenly a massive beam of flames came roaring in from above, at an angle so that it perfectly missed Amarill, but was dead on for Tyrian; Tyrian turned, leaping away to avoid it in a heartbeat of incredible reaction time. Amarill screamed and pressed herself to the ground for dear life, hands over her head.

A powerful gust of wind washed across the world; Tyrian backflipped away. It hit the ground so hard it shattered, kicking up debris and dust.

A figure in a brown cloak came leaping down from a rooftop, landing in front of Tyrian - between him and Amarill. A long staff was held in one hand, out in front of them. Embedded along its length were multiple Dust Crystals of various types (Cinder spotted fire, wind, earth, lava, and even rare water, plant, and gravity crystals).

Tyrian slashed his blade gauntlets before himself, letting out dual, powerful Aura beams of energy for the new arrival.

The cloaked figure twirled their staff and straightened up tall, tapping the base to the ground; the concrete itself rippled out in front of them, and then a large Earth wall burst up from under it, shattering the concrete as it emerged, forming a wide pillar that blocked the Aura beams.

They were leaping high atop their newly formed earth pillar, twirling that staff and lashing out with several wind strikes, swift but smooth, like a dance. And very fast.

Tyrian dodged left and right, then flashed up in front of them with a spring of his tail, launching himself high.

The cloaked figure dropped to their knees and leaned back, swinging their staff upward; another powerful gust of wind formed, an updraft that lifted Tyrian high above. The end of the staff was aimed up at him, and another powerful stream of fire erupted.

Tyrian crossed his arms in front of him in the air, and he was enveloped in it all.

When the flames died, Tyrian dropped to the ground and flipped backwards, arms held away from his sides. He heaved a breath, his Aura flaring, and grinned. And _laughed_ again. "Well well, we do have a true huntress in the fray, now don't we? I do hope you'll give me more of an enjoyable time than these children!"

The cloaked figure leaped right for him, staff swinging. Tyrian's tail came around to block it; waves of pure _air_ rippled out from them, blasting apart a section of wall, pure force of impact and clash. A heartbeat after impact, a purple light pulsed from the point of contact; purple energy rippled out across Tyrian, then he was slammed down to the ground in an instant, sinking _into the ground_ and forming a whole new crater.

The cloaked figure stood before the crater, twirled their staff and aimed it down at Tyrian without hesitation.

The large man, meanwhile, was simply standing with his arms crossed, watching the battle with interest.

Tyrian aimed his bladed gauntlets at the cloaked figure, and a hailstorm of bullets erupted. The figure leaped away, staff twirling and creating a furious spiral of flames that melted and caught the bullets in the air. Tyrian leaped up out of the crater and rushed the figure in an instant.

The cloaked figure engaged in hand to hand combat, blocking and redirecting, tossing out kicks - two of which actually connected with Tyrian, flaring his Aura and sending him back a few steps! They twirled the staff, and a blast of steam hit Tyrian in the face, causing him to cry out and fall back, arm over his face. A blue crystal lit up, and a powerful torrent of water hit Tyrian in the chest, sending him back further. The figure lunged, pressing their advantage. But Tyrian gave a growl and retaliated, slashing and kicking and putting _them_ back on the defense!

The figure blocked a powerful kick with their staff's middle, but was sent skidding backwards a dozen feet, crouched low to avoid falling over. They lifted their head and straightened, and the hood fell away.

It was a woman. A woman with dark skin and dark brown hair, cut short.

"You think you can save these children from the glorious fate that awaits them, at the hands of the Goddess?" Tyrian proclaimed, laughing.

The woman adopted a powerful stance. "I'll die trying," her voice came, soft but firm. Absolute determination.

"Well..." Tyrian cocked a grin, head tilted. "If you insist." He flew at the woman again, slashing for her faster and more ferociously than ever.

A familiar figure suddenly rushed between them, a silver scythe swinging, and blocked Tyrian's blows and kicked out at the man, sending him flying backwards.

Cinder stared, absolute relief flooding her body. "Mr. Branwen-!"

"What'd I say about that?" The man said, without even looking at her.

"Qrow," she amended instantly, breathless.

Qrow looked to the woman beside him, giving her a nod. "Get them out of here, Amber. I'll keep this guy's attention."

The woman nodded back - Amber? - lowering her staff and rushing to Cinder's side. "Are you okay?"

"Who are you?" Cinder demanded, pressing hand to her chest and gazing up at the woman.

"My name is Amber; I work for Professor Ozpin, and I'm a huntress - just like you. You don't have to be afraid."

"I'm not!" Cinder snapped.

"We need to go," Amber said, choosing not to argue (damn wisely, Cinder thought furiously). She took Cinder's arm and pulled her to her feet. She eyed Cinder's chest injury, the blood down her front, frowning deeply. "We'll get that checked out as soon as we can."

Amarill and Emerald came racing over together. Emerald immediately went to take Pyrrha's unconscious form up in her arms.

Adam rose from his crater, shaking his head. He retrieved Blake, and came staggering over to join them all.

"We need to get Rhodes, too," Cinder said firmly, pointing. "I'm not leaving _him_ either. He was stabbed - we aren't letting him die!"

Amber gauged the distance, the positions of Qrow and Tyrian. And then she raced across the courtyard, picking Rhodes up and racing back with him.

Tyrian tried to lunge for her, but Qrow intercepted him and shoved him back. And a full out battle erupted.

Speed and power like nothing Cinder had seen before.

Amber led them away from that battle, for which Cinder was singularly grateful.

The large man, all the while, just stood by and watched them go.

Cinder thought she might have seen something like relief on his face, strangely enough.

* * *

As their group followed the huntress called Amber through the district, something happened up in the sky.

The Whale Grimm turned, and began to glide speedily toward them - toward the industrial district. Far faster than it had any right to go, being that large.

It was hovering over their district in less than a minute. Then, it opened its mouth again, and poured out a large lake's worth of Grimm sludge.

Everyone leaped up onto the rooftop of the nearest factory building, high up from the streets, as that Grimm liquid came pouring over nearby buildings and rushing down the streets.

All manner of Grimm, hundreds of them, emerged in seconds all around them.

"Oh my god, we're all going to die!" Amarill screamed, pressing to Cinder.

Cinder threw her off, then made to punch her in the stomach - and pulled up short. She lowered her fist, gritting her teeth. "We're _not_ going to die, you idiot. We can fight these, they're just more Grimm!"

"Everyone, ready your weapons," Amber spoke, loud and firm. "Your Auras have recovered enough; we should all be able to get through this if we stay together."

Cinder stalked over to Emerald, and then she slapped Pyrrha's unconscious face. She immediately felt terrible about it, but she pushed those feelings down. "Pyrrha, wake up - we need you!" she begged, caressing her cheek where she'd hit her. "You're the only other half decent fighter in the group besides me and Adam!"

"Wow - thanks," Emerald said, looking genuinely upset.

Blake glared at Cinder like she was trying to burn a hole in her head.

"Sorry - but you're both less skilled than us, and Rhodes is out completely!" Cinder exclaimed, gesturing to the man laid bare on the rooftop.

Pyrrha stirred in Emerald's arms, her eyes fluttering open. She looked around, then leaped out of Emerald's arms to her feet. She took her weapons up instantly, her face set. Her Aura shimmered over her. She paused, her hand raising to touch her cheek. She frowned. "Did...someone hit me at some point?"

Cinder looked away, grasping her arm. "I'm sorry! I just- didn't know how to wake you up and that's how people usually do it, right?"

Pyrrha blinked steadily at her. She shook her head, smiling lightly. "In movies and books, yes - but it doesn't actually work in real life, Cinder. Please, never do that to me again."

"But...you _did_ wake up," Cinder said pointedly, despite her remorse.

"It was either a coincidence, or I was already in the process of waking," Pyrrha replied evenly. Her eyes fell on Cinder's partially healed injury, and widened. "You were hurt-"

"I need both of you to focus right now," Amber spoke, glancing at them.

Pyrrha nodded, spinning her spear in hand and taking up her shield properly. "Of course."

Cinder twirled her blades, wincing at the searing pain in her chest.

Suddenly there was a roar of flames, and then a figure of scarlet hair glistening under sunlight came flying down from above.

"Kari!" Cinder exclaimed.

Kari gazed down at her, and gave the lightest of smiles. Her eyes flames burned more brilliantly, and she turned to sweep her gaze over the Grimm hordes.

She raised her hands, and the clouds rumbled and coalesced into a raging storm in a matter of seconds. Thunder boomed, lightning flashed - and then streaks of powerful blue electricity jolted down from the skies to strike at the Grimm. It chained between them, taking out dozens at once. And dozens of lightning bolts came from the sky, multiplying the victims.

Kari held her palms forward, and a powerful wind rose in the air. It was like a hurricane; it swept up the Grimm, knocked a Nevermore out of the sky and sent it spiraling, and blasted apart several blocks, shearing away at the buildings and crumbling them. She swirled a wrist, arm held high; dozens of Grimm were sucked up into a tornado, which crackled with lightning that swirled and scorched them, destroying them. Stray cars and debris were sucked up into it as well, battering at the Grimm further.

Kari flashed out her hands once more, and icy winds blew through the streets. The remaining Grimm within several blocks were instantly frozen solid, statues of ice. A flick of a wrist, and hundreds of beams of multicolored energy burst forth, streaking down from the air into the streets, weaving between cars, debris, and buildings to seek out solely their Grimm targets. The beams struck each Grimm, and they exploded with a brilliant flash of silver, scattered particles to the wind.

Kari finally let her arms fall to her sides. She hovered in the air, her hair swaying, her cape fluttering. And then she turned, and looked right down at Cinder again. She gave a single nod, and soared away beyond sight.

A dozen block radius was cleared around them now.

Amber took out a scroll, and began speaking into it, requesting a transport for pickup.

She was putting it away again, when a huge fireball came flying in, striking her in the back and sending her off the roof, falling to the streets below. Her Aura shattered on impact, one hit. Gone.

Everyone turned together.

The large man stood on the rooftop, walking toward them, cracking his knuckles. Tyrian was beside him, striding along leisurely.

_What?!_

So they had beaten Qrow? Was he dead, or just knocked out, or...had he fled the battle and made it away?

Cinder knew which version of events she would have preferred. But guessing was useless.

Cinder glanced up at the sky, but Kari was long gone, a distant figure flying up toward the Whale Grimm again.

Everyone moved for Tyrian and the large man at once, but their Auras were low, hardly recovered at all, and they were all exhausted from the fight they'd just escaped minutes ago with the pair of enemies.

Needless to say, they had the floor wiped with them in under two minutes, Auras broken again, scattered onto the street that ran along the bay, near the bridge.

Tyrian slinked up to Cinder, standing over her again, reaching to grab her by her hair and tear her head back. He raised an arm, blades poised for a strike. "Ah, now where were we...?"

Cinder thrashed, but he tore her arm out of its socket and left it like that, left her screaming.

He laughed at her, and then he brought his blade swinging down for her neck.

There was a flash of green, an image in the air, and Tyrian went flying down the street, striking a car.

The large man turned, thrusting out his fists and blasting a huge fireball down the street.

And then the blast of fire met resistance in an emerald barrier made up of hexagons, and a blurry figure of green was standing between Cinder and the large man. The blurriness dissipated, revealing Professor Ozpin, his cane in hand.

The large man gasped, and then his face twisted with pure rage. " _Ozpin!_ " He swung a fist swathed in lightning!

Ozpin's body blurred again, and he lashed out twice with his cane in the time Cinder could blink, swiping away the lightning and surging forward. He left an after-image as he ducked under the large man's arm, twisting around behind him. He lashed out with his cane several times over, and the large man fell to his knees with a great cry. Ozpin swung his cane, striking the man across the back of his head, flaring his Aura and smacking him face-first into the ground.

The street exploded, debris flying a dozen feet high in the air.

Tyrian lunged for Ozpin, and Ozpin turned to look with the calmest expression on his face possible for the situation. Ozpin took a single step forward, and then he seemed to teleport, a green blur left where once he stood, and appearing a millisecond before he reappeared elsewhere! A blast of wind, a streak of faint emerald color was all that convinced Cinder he _hadn't_ actually teleported! Ozpin blocked and redirected Tyrian's strikes with zero change of expression, and then he blurred with green, and began striking Tyrian several dozen times over in less than two seconds. A final blow and a burst of green energy sent Tyrian flying backwards again. Tyrian smashed through a large metal door to a factory, the metal tearing open and leaving a man-sized hole in it.

The large man was rising, thrusting his arms out and sending multiple fireballs at Ozpin.

Ozpin suddenly just _turned around_ , without hardly a twitch, from one instant to the next, and then he swung his cane furiously for a moment, leaving after-images once again, and forming those hexagons in the air before him. The blasts were all blocked, and dissipated.

And Ozpin stood as ever, utterly calm, and utterly straight-backed.

The large man roared, and raced at Ozpin.

Tyrian blasted out from the factory, came rushing for Ozpin from behind with a high yell.

Ozpin payed a half glance back to Tyrian, then he flipped his cane in hand to a reverse grip, and turned to meet him. He rushed to intercept Tyrian, seeming to teleport once again. Tyrian's face showed pure shock, and then Ozpin had smashed him in the side with his cane, smacking the man to the ground. Tyrian's tail lashed out - Ozpin leaned left, then right, then backwards, leaving those after images of his. It was all so _casual!_ Ozpin struck Tyrian in the chest, across the face thrice over, then he was suddenly behind Tyrian, bashing him in the back of his head and stomping on his tail just beneath the stinger.

Tyrian's Aura shattered, and the man screamed with fury.

The large man was still determined to defeat Ozpin, nearly stepping on Tyrian as he came into melee range.

Ozpin twisted and avoided his blows far easier than Tyrian's, uppercutted him with his cane, struck him on the side of a knee, and then he leaped high and rammed his knee into the man's face to send him stumbling backwards...and sprawling on the ground like a child. Ozpin landed again, deft and simple, twirling his cane at his side.

Tyrian twisted around at Ozpin's feet and aimed his gun gauntlets at him; Ozpin's cane flashed out, smacking the man on the arm and throwing off his aim - and breaking his _wrist_ , from the looks of things (and the high scream he made as he cradled his arm).

Ozpin kicked Tyrian in the head, knocking him unconscious, and then he ran at the large man, who was recovering once again, with more fury than ever.

Ozpin weaved and dodged and struck, a dozen times for every attempted one of his opponent's, and then he slammed his cane against the man's head with a burst of green energy, and the man's Aura shattered as he went rolling down the street, slamming into the side of a truck and utterly crushing it.

The enemy didn't get up again.

Ozpin ran to Cinder's side, reaching for her. "Are you all right?"

Cinder stared into his face, a wide smile growing on _hers_ despite the agony rolling up and down her arm. "I...I can't believe you just _did that_ ; that was _incredible_ , I've never seen-!"

"I wouldn't be much of a good Headmaster if I wasn't willing to defend my students, would I - you're fine, then?" Ozpin interrupted, with a gentle smile of his own. "I see no injuries besides the one that's healing - and that arm of yours."

"Just the arm," Cinder confirmed. "The blade wound isn't so bad..."

Ozpin eyed the others laid out. "I need to tend to the others, then. Rest, right here. I'll call a medical airship to our position."

"That huntress - Amber - already called a ship," Cinder informed.

"Did she? Good," Ozpin nodded with relief.

"And, Mr. Branwen - Qrow - he- I don't know what happened to him," Cinder burst out. "We fled, he was left to fight them back there, but then they...they must have beaten him..."

"I'll send soldiers to investigate once they arrive," Ozpin said firmly. "But Qrow is a resourceful fighter - I am sure that he is fine and well, Cinder." He paused. He hesitated, then set his hand on her shoulder. "And, Cinder..."

"Yes?"

"I can't describe how proud of you I am for all that you have done lately."

Cinder beamed. "Thank you, Professor." She hesitated. "And...thanks, too, for saving me. For- being here for me. I never...really thought you would be," she admitted. _I didn't think any adults would be. But you, Qrow, even this Amber woman...and even Kari..._ _all here for me. More than Rhodes was, at least._

Ozpin nodded. "I'll do my best to always be there for you."

"I believe you..." Cinder pushed herself on her good arm, leaning in close. "Ozma," she whispered the name.

His face showed absolute shock. He reared back like she had struck him, flinching. Then, his expression softened. There was conflict, there was doubt, even fear! "Kari told you, then...?"

"I know she was serving a woman named Salem, who apparently controls the Grimm - and I know you're both immortal," Cinder shrugged - bad move; her arm trembled with fresh agony. "Is there much else to it?"

Ozpin laughed softly, leaning in closer, a mischievous smile on his face. "Quite a bit else, Cinder. But I'd ask you, please, to keep this all to yourself."

Cinder smiled. "I'm good at keeping secrets, professor. I'll keep yours just fine. I...I can trust you, and you can trust _me_. I won't let you down."

"I believe you."

* * *

Cinder gazed out the window of the airship as it flew over Vale.

As she watched, the Grimm Whale was assaulted by a fresh fleet of a dozen Atlas battleships, come in from over the forest.

Kari did something to it, too - inside it. She disappeared in through the open mouth, and a few minutes later there was this powerful burst of energy that tore through one side of the whale. It was blown wide open, and the battleships fired massive cannons into its exposed innards. Then it began to fall, dissipating in the air before it could crash onto the city.

Cinder spotted a tiny, distant little figure of a person falling through the air, as the particles of Grimm evaporated from the sky, and the storm of scarlet finally cleared.

Kari. Either she was dead, or unconscious after whatever she had done, her own massive blast of power...because she didn't burst with flames, or flare with winds to save herself. She fell all the way down, disappearing into downtown, behind some buildings that Cinder couldn't see at this angle.

"I have to know if she's still alive," she whispered to herself.

Pyrrha looked at Cinder, trying to discern her expression. Her intentions behind it, Cinder knew. "With all of the Grimm still in the city, not dealt with yet, she'll be overrun soon. There won't be many places to hide, either, in her condition. I imagine it's severe, given that explosion. They'll swarm her, like moths to a single flame. Even if she survived..."

"More flames would help, then..."

Pyrrha smiled. "I'm so happy you want to help her - I'm so, _so proud of you today_ \- but it's too late for her. In both senses of the-"

"No!' Cinder snarled. "Why does everyone keep saying that? About Adam, about Kari now? Aren't I proof that that's not true? Or have you all been lying to me this whole time, laughing at me behind my back?! Is that what you all really think of _me_ , too?"

She glared furiously around at her team. Her friends.

Blake, laid out on a small bed, looked away. "Adam _ran._ "

"Ozpin let him go," Pyrrha said evenly. "So did Qrow and Amber."

"That's right - because he helped me save a human kid, my stepsister, and _you_ , Blake. And helped us fight across an entire city of Grimm," Cinder rattled off. "He risked his life for you, he helped me do things I couldn't have done on my own - you should be grateful! You could have at least thanked him; I did!"

"That doesn't change who he is!" Blake insisted. "The things he's done - everything else he's ever done!"

"But it could! It's a start, at least!" Cinder retorted. "You won't even give him a chance?"

"I gave him dozens of chances, and he never took them before!" Blake exploded. She coughed, holding her hand to her bandaged injury from Tyrian's tail (apparently, it was a very powerful, potentially deadly poison).

But Cinder wasn't feeling too sympathetic for Blake right now. Just angry. "Well, he took _mine_! And he proved himself! So why don't you drop the attitude and just show a little bit of appreciation for what he did _today!_ "

"W-woah, Cinder, you could be a little less harsh with the-" Emerald began.

"Shut up!" Cinder snarled.

Emerald shrank back in her seat, ducking her head.

"Cinder-" Amarill started quietly.

"Don't _you_ even _start_ ," Cinder hissed, whirling on her stepsister.

"All right, _enough!_ " Pyrrha shouted. "Everyone, _calm down._ Take deep breaths, and let this conversation go. We all still have things we need to discuss _together_ ," she went on, with a meaningful look at Blake that had the girl turning away. "and it's best if we do that once we're all well rested, well fed, and have clear heads again. But not until then. Please. Thank you."

Pyrrha turned to Cinder, letting out a sigh. "Now, I really am proud of you - but you can't go back down there in this state. Not again. Just wait, just rest...and we'll search for her later."

"She might not _have_ until later! She's down there without Aura, unconscious, surrounded by Grimm," Cinder replied furiously. "She needs help!"

Rhodes caught her eye from his own little glorified shelf of a hospital bed, hesitant. "Cinder...I don't want to have to lose you-"

" _Too late; you never **had me** , did you? Because you're not a father to me, and I'm not a **daughter** to you!_" Cinder said viciously. "Don't start pretending to be something you _never wanted to be from the start, not now!_ "

Rhodes gazed at her, his mouth open. Then he looked away.

She closed her eye, letting a breath go. Letting the anger go. She stood from her seat, stalking for the back of the airship.

"Cinder!" Pyrrha began, rising too and reaching for her arm. "Don't-"

" _Listen!_ I _l_ _ove_ all of you - but _screw_ all of you!" That said, Cinder tore her arm from Pyrrha's grasp, slammed her fist to the button to open the door, and leaped out of the airship.


	30. Epilogue: Just Orphan Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the first story in this series FINISHED, I'm going to take a week-ish long break before starting on the sequel, to work on some of the other stories I've neglected the past two or three months in favor of my Rwby/Cinder focused stories!!! :D Too much Cinder! I'm gonna go back over to work on some of my Harry Potter stories probably! Some nice whimsical magic urban fantasy fun stories! :) :) A break from all the stress and traumas of dark Rwby-versing! :)
> 
> EDIT: On 1/29/2021 the SEQUEL is now posted!!! :) Go here to read it if you want to! I'm so excited to start on it! https://archiveofourown.org/works/28449765/chapters/69714996

"Yes! Score - how many points are Nevermore worth again?"

"Five points, we decided."

"Five more points for me, then!"

In the brilliant skies of dusk, the Nevermore collapsed, and dissolved into nothing on the rooftop.

Kari shook her head, then took a running start and leaped clear across the street, to the roof of another shop. She slashed her blade once, and a thin beam erupted to bisect four griffons. She turned back to stare at Cinder across the distance. Then, she raised her arms at her.

Cinder smirked to herself, and she ran and made the leap as well. She hit and rolled, coming up on a knee. Breathing ragged. She clutched her blades and straightened to face Kari, getting in her face with a saunter, hand on hip. "No points for no style - and, I'm still up, either way."

Kari flashed a small smile. "For now. Style modifiers don't add much."

"You just can't cope with the fact that I'm the only one getting points out of it."

"I could be just as, if not more stylish with my kills than you could ever be - but it's a waste of energy and time. I prefer efficiency."

"Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that. I can see you're crying inside."

Three griffons came flying in with roars.

Kari whirled, leaping over one as it passed, kicking it into another. She lunged forward and put the flat of her blade under them both and gave a mighty upward swing. She dodged a fireball from the third and kicked it off the building. Then she leaped high, flipping upside down and twisting her body like a top, slicing into an airborne griffon. She tossed her blade at the second one and touched her boots down to the ground without her weapon. She raised an absent arm; the Grimm dissolved in the air, and her sword came down to smack into her waiting palm.

The third griffon flew up from the ground with a screech. Kari was shrouded in blue energy, and in a millisecond's time she flipped her blade around in hand and stabbed backwards, impaling it through the mouth.

Cinder considered her. She nodded. "That wasn't bad. I'd say it's worth two points."

"And you honestly think that that's fair?" Kari said, sounding like she was barely restraining herself from rolling her eyes. "I gave you four points for your flashy display with the Ursa Major, and all those spines."

Cinder sighed, smiling. "Okay, fine - I can give you three points. Is that a fair judgement now?"

"I'll accept it," Kari replied, nodding. She paused. "If you want to talk about crying, let's talk about how you always used to cry when you were made to wash the floors, while the rest of us got to go play outside..."

"Well, this is a _much_ funner game to play with you than anything I wanted to join in on back then," Cinder said honestly. She paused, a smirk coming to her face. "I seem to remember you crying every time you weren't picked out for adoption. How many times did - what was the head matron's name? Saria? - have to give you hugs and kisses after you were passed up?"

Distant roaring, and a Manticore came gliding over the rooftops for them.

Cinder and Kari turned to face it, falling into combat stances.

"Saria...How would she feel if she saw us now..." Kari murmured, with a little laugh.

"What does that place matter now?" Cinder replied, shaking her head. "We're here, and we'll never have to see it again. Unless you want to help me go burn it all down later..."

"And deprive all those children of a stable place to live? A chance at a better home? No," Kari said flatly.

"Stable?" Cinder laughed. "Sure, it was _stable_ , but it wasn't _good for us._ "

"Speak for yourself. It only wasn't good for you because you kept acting up; you should be grateful anyone was willing to put up with your unruliness." A glimmer in those brown eyes of hers. A sparkle caught by sunlight.

"Grateful? You mean to the adults who joined in on kicking me into the dirt? Yes, I'm _so_ grateful to them for that!" Cinder snarked.

"If you don't want to talk about the past anymore, then let's talk about the future." Kari's face lit up with a grin, and her blade sang as she swished it before herself. Her eyes rippled with dark blue flames.

"Talk about whatever you want - we have plenty of time," Cinder retorted.

"Yeah...we do."

Cinder and Kari leapt at the Manticore together.


End file.
